Two Heroes
by terra dewrim
Summary: FINALLY, last chapter (10) UP. This story picks up at the ending to Final Fantasy II (IV in Japan). It follows an unfinished plotline hinted at in the ending of the game: a little something between Edge and Rydia. I'd love your review!
1. An Invitation

Chapter 1  
  
"A royal decree from the castle of Baron for you, sir," the Chamberlain said, bearing a white letter with golden decorations on a silver platter.  
  
"A little pretentious, isn't this?" Edge teased as he took the letter from the plate.  
  
The Chamberlain grimaced. "I cannot seem to make you understand, sir, that there is a certain level of sophistication that is only fitting to -- "  
  
"Cecil and Rosa are getting married!" Edge interrupted him, having heard the Chamberlain's speech many times before.  
  
"Excuse me, my lord?"  
  
Edge rolled his eyes at the expression. "Honestly, Sam, I don't think people have said 'my lord' for two centuries."  
  
The Chamberlain coughed. "I would greatly prefer it, sir -- "  
  
"The ceremony is in a week," Edge went on. "Wow, this is going to be a pretty posh affair, eh? Better polish up on my manners!"  
  
The Chamberlain let that one go. "Well, I'm sure it will be, as Cecil is one of the heroes of this century, and has every right to all the ceremony in the world."  
  
Edge gave him a look. "I'm one of those heroes, too, you know."  
  
The Chamberlain sniffed. "Undoubtedly. Is Cecil going to ascend the throne of Baron at this ceremony, as well?"  
  
Edge scanned his invitation again. "Yup, that seems to be the case."  
  
"Well, that's good," the Chamberlain said. "If I remember correctly, Baron's been without a king for three months now, and that is not how it should be."  
  
"That's why I'm king here," Edge replied boastfully.  
  
The Chamberlain sniffed again. "Of course."  
  
Edge laughed. Sam had been by his side ever since he was born a young prince of Eblan, and was his most trusted adviser on all matters. He was much older, and tried to make Edge more reserved, as he thought befit a king. But although Edge refused to change his ways, he and Sam still got along.  
  
"So when can I get to Baron? They'll have a room or something for me, won't they?" asked Edge, lying across his throne, resting his head on one of the cushy armrests.  
  
The Chamberlain heaved a great sigh and said, "The messenger from Baron is resting from the flight, and he awaits your answer to Sir Cecil and Lady Rosa. He says that they will assuredly have the best of accommodations for you, and you are welcome as soon or as late as you'd like."  
  
"Well, tell the messenger from Baron that I'll -- actually, you know what, I'll tell them myself," Edge said, jumping up and running to the cabinet in the throne room.  
  
"Sir, wouldn't you rather have someone take dictation?" the Chamberlain tried feebly.  
  
"Sir, don't you think the future King and Queen of Baron would much prefer a personalized letter?" Edge returned smartly, returning to his throne with a piece of polished wood to write on, piece of parchment, and quill. As he scratched on the paper, he instructed, "Ready the airship, I'll be piloting it myself and leaving in the morning in four days. Oh, and could you get someone to, you know, pack up some nice clothes, and stuff?"  
  
"I'll have one of your nicest outfits prepared," the Chamberlain replied. He hesitated. "You won't -- er -- be -- bringing anybody, will you? One of those ..." he cringed, "girls of yours?"  
  
Edge ruffled a hand through his hair, which was growing down to his ears at the moment. It was a nervous habit of his. The ruffling, that is, not the hair growth. "Sam, I haven't seen anybody in two months, okay? You don't have to worry about that, I told you."  
  
"And I am indeed very pleased with these new, albeit unfamiliar, circumstances," the Chamberlain said dryly. "I just wanted to be sure. That would, as I'm sure you can tell, be at the height of improper behavior."  
  
"Thanks for thinking I'd be a jerk, Sam," Edge said.  
  
"At the same time, sir," the Chamberlain began again, "I'm sure the city of Eblan would be very interested in any woman you might be considering seriously."  
  
Edge looked directly at the Chamberlain. "I know." And there was a note in his tone that warned the Chamberlain to leave the subject alone.  
  
"Yes, sir," and the Chamberlain bowed a little bit. "The lower left side of the city is scheduled for final rebuilding touches. Would you like to look around and ensure that nothing has been neglected?"  
  
"Yes, I'll be down later," Edge answered shortly.  
  
The Chamberlain nodded. "I'll just go discuss the plans once more with the architects," he said, and wisely withdrew to leave Edge alone.  
  
Edge sighed.  
  
~~~  
  
Three nights later, Edge held a small banquet for some of his greatest Ninjas, a sort of farewell party before he departed to stay a week at Baron. The group, most of whom had been training together since they were teenagers, was having a wonderful time. Looking around at some of his closest friends, Edge felt a small pang of jealousy, as most of them had been married happily for years. He had been much too busy defending his city, not to mention the whole world, from evil. Which he wasn't upset about, of course, but sometimes he wished he could find that certain someone for himself . Then again, it wasn't entirely his battling past that could be blamed for his lack of true love. He'd spent many years of his life dating as many beautiful women as he could, and there was great reason to lose respect for the king of Eblan when his history with women was heard .  
  
While his mind was on that familiar course of thinking, a footman entered and cleared his throat. The happy party became quiet and looked at him.  
  
The footman, trembling with the importance of his job, announced loudly, "Sorry to interrupt, but we have a visitor -- the greatest Dragoon of our times, Kain of Baron!"  
  
"Really quite unnecessary," said the tall, rather dusty young man who strode into the room. "Sorry I'm not up to par on the clothes, Edge, I've been traveling, you know how it is."  
  
"Kain!" was the general gasp that ran around the room, and all of the Ninjas, Ninjas' wives, and the Chamberlain stood up to show their respect. Edge stood too, with a giant grin on his face, and ran around the table to give the newcomer a giant bear hug.  
  
"Kain, what are you doing here?" he cried, unable to stop himself from smiling. "You cut your hair!" he added, smacking the now-short blond hair rather ungently.  
  
Kain had a great grin on his face too, and, pulling Edge's longer locks, replied, "And you're growing yours out! Guess we switched hairstyles."  
  
"Well, what brings 'the greatest Dragoon of our times' to the humble castle of Eblan?" Edge joked with him. The footman winced.  
  
Kain turned to him and said in an aside, "He's just kidding, man, I thought it was a great introduction." Turning back to Edge, he said, "I just wanted to stop by, catch up on old times, all that. I heard you're leaving tomorrow morning, and that's fine, as long as you've got room to put up someone like me for the night."  
  
"Aren't you coming with me back to Baron then?" asked Edge.  
  
"I'm not going to the wedding or the ceremony, actually," Kain said, a little bit uncomfortably.  
  
Edge nodded and didn't push the subject. "Well, have a seat!" he welcomed him, and they turned around to discover another place had appeared next to Edge's. Kain grinned and accepted.  
  
After the banquet -- which, thanks to Kain's appearance, lasted much longer than Edge had planned -- Edge and Kain retreated to Edge's room to reminisce in some privacy. "Don't mind me, I've just got to make sure they packed all the clothes I wanted," Edge said, flicking through the arrangement of soft cloth that was laid out for his trip.  
  
"Damn, Edge, what are you, a woman?" teased Kain.  
  
Edge just rolled his eyes and held up his outfit for the ceremony. "Nice, huh?"  
  
Kain nodded approvingly. "Looking to impress someone?" he said knowingly.  
  
Edge glared at him. "Hey, you haven't seen her in months, even I'd be thinking about my clothes," Kain protested.  
  
Edge looked at him loftily. "Maybe a little."  
  
"I think you should tell her how you feel," Kain said.  
  
"I don't -- I just think she's pretty," Edge defended himself.  
  
Kain shook his head. "All right, if you say so, man," he said. "Then you should tell her that you think she's very . pretty. Get it off your chest. Invite her to the palace sometime. You guys are old friends, it's a totally valid request."  
  
"I haven't corresponded with her in a month and a half," Edge admitted. "A month and seventeen days, actually."  
  
Kain raised his eyebrows. "Well, you can get to know her again at the party, then," he said. "Just so you know, I heard she won't be getting there until the day of the ceremony."  
  
"Oh, I don't care," Edge shrugged. Then he and Kain exchanged looks and laughed, because it was obviously a lie.  
  
"Man, I wish you'd be there with me, give me, you know, on-site girl advice," Edge joked. Kain smiled. "But really, Kain, are you -- okay with all of this?"  
  
It was well-known that Kain had been in love with Rosa for a long time. He and Cecil, in fact, had been rivals for her, once upon a time, although Rosa had known almost immediately that Cecil was her true love. Kain had backed off fairly, though, and was long past jealousy of Cecil. But it can never be easy seeing someone you once placed all your hope in getting married to someone else.  
  
"I'm doing all right," Kain said. "Cecil and Rosa seemed pretty understanding about my leaving during the ceremony, though. Besides, I am heading to do something that I need to accomplish."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I'm going to Mt. Ordeals to meet KluYa," Kain replied. "Or rather, KluYa's spirit."  
  
Edge's eyes widened. "Wow, that's big news! Good luck, man! But I'm sure that the light will accept you with open arms. I'm so happy for you!"  
  
Kain shrugged. "Hey, I've been a messenger of darkness for long enough, right?" and he laughed. "I should be back in about a week a changed man. Hopefully you'll still be there when I return to Baron."  
  
"You're going alone?" asked Edge, a touch of worry in his voice.  
  
"Well, it is my journey," Kain replied. "I need to deal with the light alone."  
  
"But on the way up the mountain, surely you could bring a companion or two," Edge said.  
  
"I couldn't put any of my men in such peril," Kain said. "Most of the men that are manning the airship on the way to Mt. Ordeals are married, have commitments. Besides, compared to you and I, they have little or no battle experience."  
  
"I know you're the greatest Dragoon of our times," Edge replied with a wink, "but Mt. Ordeals is dangerous! It's not called that for no reason. You never know what you might run into. I have a couple of unmarried Ninjas that would be honored to accompany you ..."  
  
Kain laughed. "It's not just that they're married, you know. I just -- I need alone time, anyway, Edge. I'll be okay. Plenty of supplies, tents, everything. I'm even considering wearing some of the armor that we found on the moon, and that stuff has got to be strong enough to ward off anything you could find on this planet."  
  
Edge sighed. "I'll admit I don't like it, Kain. But I can't change your mind. Just be safe."  
  
Kain nodded and said, "I don't want to get killed any more than you want me to. I'll be good, I promise!"  
  
They laughed together, reveling in each other's company again. Edge and Kain had gotten to know each other quite well on their final journey through the moon to meet Zemus. The path had been filled with difficult monsters, and often they'd find themselves battling demons back-to-back, the girls and Cecil forming a triangle of power and magic behind them. And the nights that they'd camped, they'd naturally drawn to each other until they became close friends. Cecil, of course, participated in their conversation often, but just as often he was with Rosa, so he hadn't formed a bond such as that between Edge and Kain. Besides, you can never go through battling the source of all evil without some sort of camaraderie.  
  
"I brought the Lance of White, and I'm sure that'll help me in any battles I need to fight," Kain said. "Remember the battle we had to fight to get that one on the moon? I hardly thought it was worth it -- until I held it in my hand." He sighed at the memory. "I can still feel that first surge of power that jolted through my body when I picked it up."  
  
"Ha!" laughed Edge. "Just think about how I felt having the Murasame in one hand and the Masamune in the other!"  
  
"True," Kain said. "You know, Rosa requested that Rydia wear the heroine robe to the ceremony? And they're both going wear the protect belts that we found, isn't that the cutest thing you've ever heard?"  
  
"Hm, maybe I should bring the Masamune," Edge said thoughtfully, and such was their talk late into the night. 


	2. New Friends and Old

Chapter 2  
  
The next morning, Edge saw Kain off with many wishes for a safe and successful journey. Then Edge made preparations for his own journey, and his first sight of Rydia in three months and twenty-four days.  
  
Rydia. Edge carried a picture of her in his back pocket at all times, although not even Kain knew that. Besides, he didn't need it -- he could always remember exactly how she looked the first time he met her, when she and Cecil and the others had saved her from Rubicant. Those large, green eyes, that somehow kept their innocence even during a journey to save mankind from evil, peered down at him with the care that Rydia felt for all living creatures. Her dark hair had been down to her shoulders, held back by her protective tiara. It wasn't until much later, after they'd exited the cave and even fought through the Tower of Bab-il, that he realized that her dark hair shone green in the sunlight. When he'd asked her about the strange color, she'd blushed and answered that it was because she'd lived in the Land of the Summoned Monsters for many months, and that had had an effect on her entire physical appearance. Then she teased him about the bluish tint to his own hair, which had been passed down through generations in the royal family of Eblan.  
  
She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, more beautiful, he thought, than even Rosa, who was usually acknowledged as the fairest woman in the world. Rosa was lovely, of course, but there was something about Rydia that tugged at his heartstrings. And throughout the battles, the nights of exhausted camping after days of travel and fighting, he had gotten to know her better. They'd usually been the ones to cook of the team, since Kain and Cecil didn't have the faintest idea how to, and Rosa hated it. They'd come up with some pretty creative ways of cooking, especially in the days on the moon, when they had to use some of the more animalistic enemies they'd slain for meat. It was always strange, eating a creature from the moon, but with experiments, they'd usually come up with something good. And Edge relished whatever time, however little they had to spare, that he had spent looking for herbs and seasoning with Rydia. He had gotten to know her. And he had fallen in love.  
  
Edge had never directly asked her if she felt the same way. He'd never indirectly asked her, either. He was too scared of the response. She had gathered a lot about his past with women, and was, of course, disapproving, maybe even hurt, but Edge couldn't tell. And he didn't know how to tell her that he wanted to give all of that up, would even have preferred not to have that past, because now he knew what true love was.  
  
But perhaps she didn't love him back. That was the idea that Edge couldn't stand.  
  
He sighed and shook himself from his thoughts. The small crew had been waiting for a few minutes now. He yelled to them, "Ready?"  
  
"Ready, sir!" they bellowed back.  
  
"Then let's get over there!" he grinned, and gunned the engine.  
  
Shortly after they'd returned from the moon, among all of the rejoicing, they'd discovered that Cid, the master engineer at Baron, was in the middle of crafting airships for each of the heroes -- which they considered quite a compliment, especially since he'd assumed they'd all come back alive. Cecil, Rosa, Kain, and Cid, of course, lived at the castle of Baron, the center of air power in the world, and so had no need of individual airships. But Cid presented Rydia, Edge, Edward, the Elder of Mysidia, and Yang each with their own airships, complete with lessons of how to fly them. The Elder couldn't quite handle flying himself, but the other four thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Each of the airships was even specially engineered to be able to fly over magma, allowing for visits to the underground whenever necessary. This was especially handy for Rydia, who decided to take up residence in the underground, in the Land of the Summoned Monsters.  
  
For Edge, flying the airship was one of his favorite pastimes. The journey to Baron took almost five hours, even in the extremely fast airship that Cid had designed, but Edge enjoyed every second of it. He piloted himself, with an expert navigator of Eblan. Other than that, he had two footmen and the Chamberlain to accompany him, but that was the entire crew. The world was at peace now, and there was nothing to be afraid of. Besides that, he was an excellent Ninja, and knew no fear.  
  
They arrived at Baron in the afternoon and were ushered in with great ceremony. The only other hero-guest who had arrived so far was Yang, and he, Cecil, and Rosa were talking in the throne room when Edge entered, the Masamune at his side.  
  
Cecil and Rosa stood. "Edge!" they cried, and embraced him warmly. "Welcome," Rosa said, and two footmen appeared as if out of nowhere and brought a chair for him. "This is Yang, the king and great Karate master of Fabul. Yang, meet Edge, Ninja king of Eblan."  
  
"Of course, I have heard much about you," Edge said courteously.  
  
"I can say the same," Yang replied. "Much has been said about the prowess of the Ninjas of Eblan."  
  
The conversation between the two deepened. Both martial arts masters had recently inherited their thrones, and discussed the trials that they'd discovered in ruling frankly. Cecil and Rosa listened interestedly; they were, after all, about to become the King and Queen of their own kingdom.  
  
"You see, the city of Fabul is in fact inside the castle of Fabul," Yang explained triumphantly. "It proved useful during the air raid by Golbez, I can tell you that!"  
  
"Ah, if only I'd heard about that before we rebuilt the city, maybe the city of Eblan would be inside the castle of Eblan too!" Edge said, slapping his knee. "It's a good idea, I can tell you that. Although I think the city of Eblan might be a little too big for that."  
  
"Well, it can't work everywhere, but it does suit us very well," Yang agreed. "Did the rebuilding of Eblan go well?"  
  
"Oh, incredibly well, and incredibly quickly," Edge said. "We had been hiding in a cave at the foot of the Tower of Bab-il after our kingdom was destroyed, you know. But right after we came out of Bab-il, I sent a messenger to instruct the people of the city to leave the caves and return to Eblan to begin rebuilding right away. I knew that Golbez and the Red Wings would no longer be a problem, so I thought that we could start early. With the generosity of Baron," and here Edge nodded to Cecil, who nodded back courteously, "our castle had already been repaired by the time I returned. It was a great help."  
  
"Yes, I hear Damcyan is in the midst of rebuilding its castle now," Rosa put in. "They are well on their way, I believe, with much help from Toroia, where Edward stayed for so long."  
  
"But they're all girls at Toroia," Edge said.  
  
"Mostly funds and materials," Cecil smiled. "With a fleet of Cid's airships, much lumber from Toroia's forests has been flown to Damcyan."  
  
"You carry your blade everywhere you go?" Yang asked, catching sight of it under Edge's cloak.  
  
Edge said sheepishly, "Only this one," and he drew it out of its scabbard. It flashed golden in the light, and anyone could see the strength inherent in it.  
  
"The Masamune," Cecil said reverently. "Plucked from the grasp of the Ogopogo on the moon."  
  
"That was a dreadful battle," Rosa commented.  
  
"Yeah, and what kind of name is Ogopogo, anyway?" Edge joked. "But seriously, it's a treasure, and I don't treat it lightly," he explained to Yang. "Not like Cecil's blade isn't worth two of these." He nodded to the scabbard at Cecil's waist, who blushed and put a hand on it protectively.  
  
"I only brought it down today to show Yang, actually," he said, and withdrew it. It positively glittered with power.  
  
"Killed the Wyvern for that," Edge recalled as Cecil replaced it in its sheath. "That battle sucked, too." The four heroes laughed together, happy that they were in a time of peace and could discuss such past wars as they were -- in the past.  
  
~~~  
  
Two nights later, Edge and Yang were again relaxing in the throne room with Cecil and Rosa, with Yang's wife, Ling, this time. The Elder of Mysidia and the famous young wizards Palom and Porom were expected to arrive later that night, along with Rydia. Many of the other esteemed guests had already taken up abode in the castle. The Dwarf King Giott and his daughter Luca, two of the eight clerics of Toroia, King Edward of Damcyan, and Kokkol, the famous blacksmith of the underground, were among the esteemed company. Most of the monsters that had been invited had declined politely but firmly, including Leviatan and Asura, Master and Queen of the Summoned Monsters.  
  
The five in the throne room were in high spirits, greatly looking forward to the complete reunion (minus Kain) the following day.  
  
"I wonder how the blade of a Ninja would do against the claws of a Karate master?" Yang asked idly.  
  
Edge cocked his head. "That's an interesting question. I haven't had hand- to-hand combat against anyone except a Ninja in so long, I wouldn't know how to fight."  
  
"Why don't you boys just fight it out?" Ling suggested sarcastically.  
  
"That's a great idea!" Yang said. "What do you think, Edge?"  
  
"Sounds like fun to me," Edge shrugged.  
  
"I didn't mean -- " Ling began, then sighed when she saw the looks on their faces.  
  
"It's a good thing there are no frying pans around for her to hit me with," Yang joked, and Cecil and Edge laughed.  
  
Rosa chided, "Isn't this a little dangerous, you two?"  
  
"It's just an experiment," Edge protested.  
  
"An entirely friendly one," Yang agreed.  
  
"It should be interesting," Cecil admitted with a smile.  
  
Rosa just threw up her hands in exasperation. "Boys will be boys, I suppose," she grumbled. "I hope Rydia gets here soon."  
  
Cecil laughed. "Do you two have arms, or would you like me to provide them?" he asked.  
  
"You may not use the Masamune against me," Yang said emphatically, and Edge agreed.  
  
"Any two long blades will do for me," he told Cecil. "Blunt ones, though. No getting hurt."  
  
"I have my own claws," Yang said, pulling them out of a pocket.  
  
"I actually have dueling suits that I think you two should wear, just in case," Cecil said. "Don't want anyone getting poisoned from that claw of yours, Yang, or sliced with Edge's power even though it's a dull blade."  
  
A footman brought two lightweight dueling suits and, as the two put them on, the blades for Edge appeared as well. He took them from the velvet pillow and experimented with them. They flashed with amazing quickness as he tested them out. It was easy to see why he was a master Ninja.  
  
"Well, let's go!" Yang said, and attacked immediately, rushing towards Edge with upraised hand.  
  
Claw clanged against blade as Edge blocked the blow with quick reflexes, swinging with his left arm even as he did so. Yang responded equally quickly, though, ducking under one of Edge's blades and spin-kicking the other away.  
  
"Impressive," Yang nodded with a smile.  
  
"And the same to you," Edge responded, and attacked with both blades.  
  
Yang dropped to the floor, and as the blades whistled over his head, he tried to kick Edge's legs from under him. Edge, however, jumped to avoid the blow, and as soon as he landed was faced with one of Yang's claws. The two began a dangerous dance, claw against blade against claw against blade, darting back and forth over the floor of Baron's magnificent throne room.  
  
"I can see I'm interrupting," a new voice said.  
  
Edge and Yang stopped their paces abruptly and looked to the entrance of the throne room. The footman, who had nervously been trying to get their attention, said, "Rydia, Caller of the Mist!"  
  
The sight of her flashed through Edge instantaneously and pierced his heart. Her hair had grown longer and looked softer and perhaps a tint more green, and she was dressed in a wispy green dress. But her eyes remained as wide and innocent as ever, and just as beautiful.  
  
"Rydia!" Cecil and Rosa exclaimed with one voice, rushing across the throne room to meet her. "I thought you weren't due until later tonight," Rosa said, hugging her warmly.  
  
"Rydia, my dear," Cecil greeted her, and kissed her on the cheek. "Welcome to Baron."  
  
"Hello, Rydia," Yang said, and shook her hand. He hadn't known her that well, so he was slightly reserved. His wife, however, rushed forward with a hug.  
  
"Did the sylphs make that dress for you?" she asked almost immediately, to the amusement of the others. Yang turned red from embarrassment at his wife's unreserved, though well-meaning, behavior. "It's gorgeous! Do you visit them often? Do they come to the Land of the Summoned Monsters, too? Oh, I couldn't imagine living with monsters! It sounds so interesting!"  
  
"Rydia," Edge finally said.  
  
"Hello, Edge," she murmured in response, and looked up at him. Edge bent and kissed on her cheek. She blushed faintly in response, although she hadn't when Cecil had done so.  
  
"You must be so tired, coming all the way from the underworld," Rosa said. "Come on, I'll take you to your room. No, no, the footmen will of course get your things." And Rydia left the room, chatting with Rosa about happenings since they'd last met.  
  
"Well, more battle?" Yang offered, but Edge shook his head.  
  
"It was a good fight, but I'm a bit tired myself," he lied, and returned the blades to the footman standing ready.  
  
Ling made a little cough involuntarily, but said nothing. "I think I'll just go to bed," Edge said, trying to act as he had before Rydia had entered. "Big day tomorrow, you know! Going to spend hours in the morning dressing," and they all laughed as he exited.  
  
"I'd know that look anywhere," Ling burst out as soon as he left.  
  
Cecil and Yang looked at her curiously. "What are you talking about, wife?" Yang asked her.  
  
"Didn't you see how he looked when she came in?" she scolded them.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ling, I don't understand," Cecil said.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Well, if you don't get it, there's no use in telling you," she said, and refused to say any more on the subject. 


	3. A Visit to the Roof

Chapter 3  
  
Edge returned to the room that he was sharing with the Chamberlain, which was splendid, to say the least. He hung the Masamune on a hook in the wall and flopped down on his ornate bed, but barely noticed the softness of the comforter around him. He was still thinking about Rydia.  
  
"I want to go see her," he said aloud to the empty room. The Chamberlain was out sharing drinks with some of the advisers to Cecil and Yang.  
  
"And why shouldn't I go see her?" he asked the emptiness again, sitting up now on the luxurious bed. "She is an old friend of mine. And I haven't talked to her in ages."  
  
Edge looked around. "I hope Sam doesn't come in. He'd think I was crazy," and promptly got up and headed for the guest room that he knew to be Rydia's, a couple flights higher in the tower.  
  
He was about to knock on the door, but paused to listen. He could hear Rosa's voice, indistinct but obviously very excited, chatting nonstop. The two girls laughed. Edge didn't want to get into the middle of a girls' night thing, so he continued up the stairs with a sigh, having some vague idea of seeing the night sky from the balcony.  
  
"You can't imagine how nervous I am, Rydia!" Rosa said, turning from the closet where she was hanging up Rydia's dresses. "I'm sorry to be talking your ear off like this, but I've missed having my best girlfriend around to listen to me babble."  
  
Rydia smiled and turned from her vanity mirror, where she was setting up her things. "I've missed having you around, too," she said sincerely. "The Sylphs that accompanied me here are very sweet, but they're still not -- well -- you."  
  
"Thanks, Rydia," and the two girls hugged.  
  
"Well, I've told you about every detail of the wedding plans, and the ceremony plans," Rosa said humorously. "I think I'll leave you to rest now."  
  
"And you get a good night's sleep, too!" Rydia instructed her friend. "Tomorrow morning we'll both be up bright and early, and the Sylphs and I will help you get dressed and put on makeup. You're the star tomorrow!"  
  
"And you, sweet dear, are the maid of honor!" Rosa reminded her fondly as she left the room.  
  
Rydia looked around at her room. It was small, but as she was the only one in it, it suited her well. Rosa had had time to decorate only one room, and chose Rydia's, adorning it with small girl-trinkets. She had even provided for the vanity mirror that Rydia appreciated very much.  
  
Rydia didn't feel like sleeping just yet, but didn't have anything to do. She thought about running after Rosa and talking more, but decided that her friend really did need her sleep. After a few moment's hesitation, she left the room and headed downstairs.  
  
"Hello?" she asked timidly, peering around the door to see an unfamiliar face. "Oh -- I'm sorry," she said. "I must have the wrong room." And she turned and left hurriedly.  
  
"Wonder who that was," the Chamberlain of Eblan muttered, but having returned from his drinking binge only recently, did not really care at the moment.  
  
Rydia headed back to her room, wondering where Edge could be, perhaps still practicing combat with Yang, perhaps trying to pick up girls in the bar in the other tower. She shook her head and hoped it wasn't the latter. Preoccupied as such, she nearly walked into someone coming down the steps, but was stopped by a pair of strong hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Rydia!" Edge laughed, stopping her in her tracks. "What are you so thoughtful about? You should still pay attention to the world every now and then!"  
  
"Oh, Edge!" Rydia gasped, caught entirely off-guard. "I'm sorry, I -- I must be more tired than I thought. I -- I was just -- heading to the balcony."  
  
"Ah, that's where I came from," Edge replied, not moving his hands from her shoulders.  
  
"Oh, I thought perhaps you were at the bar," Rydia said before she could stop herself.  
  
Edge's eyebrows raised, and he released her. "No, I was simply enjoying the night air," he replied shortly. "Alone."  
  
"Well, if you'd like to enjoy the night air again, not alone, I am heading up there now," Rydia said softly.  
  
Edge cleared his throat. "Sure," he said.  
  
They headed up the stairs, still a slight feel of tension between them. But when they reached the top, Rydia took a deep breath and walked across the top of the tower with outstretched arms. "Ah, air!" she exclaimed. "This is what we miss in the underground, the simple feeling of fresh air."  
  
Edge watched her with amusement. "I never thought anyone would think air was so special," he said. "You must have air in the underground, otherwise you'd never be able to breathe."  
  
"Well, we have air, of course," she turned back to him. "But it's not like this. It has that constant sulfuric scent because of all of the magma. There's no sun, no moon, just the glow from the magma."  
  
"Especially living in a cave," Edge said dryly.  
  
Rydia blushed. "True."  
  
"You don't belong in a cave," Edge told her. "You don't even belong underground. You should be up here. With the air. And the sun and the moon and -- well -- we've got grass and oceans and all these crazy beautiful things," he teased her.  
  
"Of course, but my home is in the Land of the Summoned Monsters," she laughed. Then she sighed. "Although I do miss all those things."  
  
"How is it, living with monsters all the time?" asked Edge.  
  
"I wouldn't even call them 'monsters,' it's such an unfriendly-sounding term," Rydia said defensively. "They're -- just creatures, like you and me, and all of them are so interesting! I learn every day about the different ways they act and react to things. And they are so friendly, and so loving, it's impossible not to love them back."  
  
"But they like you," Edge said. "You're a Caller. They didn't like any other visiting humans very much, if I remember correctly. We made them uncomfortable."  
  
"Well, yes," Rydia admitted. "But they would still welcome any friends of mine."  
  
"Anyone who made it through the cave, at least," Edge grumbled. "That thing is like a triple-defense security system. It's worth at least ten defending Ninjas."  
  
Rydia laughed appreciatively. "Thank goodness the Sylphs are to escort me here and back," she confessed. "I'd be terrified to go through the cave by myself."  
  
"What, even with the heroine robe?" Edge kidded. "I hear you brought it for the ceremony?"  
  
"Yes, only for the actual crowning of Rosa and Cecil, though," Rydia said. "I'd look a little ridiculous in armor at the wedding or the banquet, don't you think?" She laughed.  
  
"We're walking down the aisle together, right?" Edge said.  
  
Rydia looked at him, puzzled. "Excuse me?"  
  
"For the wedding," Edge said. "You know, since you're the maid of honor, and I'm the best man? Or, rather, surrogate best man, I guess."  
  
"I thought Kain was to be the best man," Rydia said.  
  
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Edge said, surprised. "He's not coming to the wedding or the ceremony. Actually, he should be somewhere on Mt. Ordeals right now, journeying to be accepted by the light."  
  
"Oh!" Rydia said. "I had no idea. I hope he's doing all right."  
  
"Me too," Edge said. He confided in her, "I wanted him to take some of my men at least, but he wouldn't. He wanted to go by himself. You know him . stubborn."  
  
"Yes, he's the only one I know who's stubborn," Rydia said mildly.  
  
"I don't know what you're implying there," Edge said, pretending to be offended. "Besides, so what if I'm stubborn? That's why Kain and I get along so well."  
  
"So Kain's not coming, so you were picked as second choice?" Rydia said in that same mild tone.  
  
Edge clucked and shook his head. "You look sweet, but you've really got quite a stinger there, don't you," he joked with her. Rydia shrugged with a smile on her face.  
  
"I think I will go to bed now," she said. "Thank you for coming up here with me, Edge."  
  
"Thank you, Rydia," he said, and took her hand and kissed it.  
  
Rydia once again blushed and, with an incline of her head, disappeared down the stairs. 


	4. A Wedding and Dancing

Chapter 4  
  
"Sir, you might want to awaken if you plan on showing up for the ceremony," came a familiar wry voice. "It's already well past noon."  
  
"Oh, shut up, Sam," Edge groaned, rolling over in bed. "I'm tired. Can't you just let me be?"  
  
"Of course, but the upcoming King and Queen of Baron might be upset when they can't find one of their rings, or their best man, or one of their crown-bearers," the voice went on, deadpan.  
  
Edge sighed with exasperation and sat up in bed. "I'm up, I'm up," he complained. "What's first again? The wedding?"  
  
"Yes, sir, then the ceremony, and then the banquet," the Chamberlain reminded him. "So you'll have to wait a while until the only part that you came for."  
  
Edge gave him a look. "I like Cecil and Rosa just as much as their food," he defended himself jokingly.  
  
The Chamberlain, who was already fully dressed in a royal blue robe with the crest of Eblan embroidered on its chest, merely shook his head and handed him his clothes.  
  
The King of Eblan dressed and combed his hair carefully. He made sure the ring was in his pocket, retrieved the Masamune from its hook, and checked himself out in the mirror. "Well, Sam, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"  
  
"Of course, sir," Sam murmured with a roll of his eyes, and they left for the throne room.  
  
The room had become even more beautiful after its treatment in the morning. The royal red carpet had been cleaned and looked newly soft and bright. Bunches of white and red roses adorned the lighting sconces, and sheer white curtains had been hung around the room and on the walls. The chandelier, which was not for everyday use, had been polished and was lit; even Rosa had never seen it lit before. The precious crystals of the chandelier acted as prisms, catching the light and spreading it across the room in magical-looking rainbows.  
  
The Chamberlain entered the throne room to be seated with the other guests, but Edge waited in a side room with Cecil. Rosa and Rydia were in another side room, awaiting their turns to walk down the aisle.  
  
"So, you nervous?" Edge asked Cecil, feeling half-obligated to do so. He was, after all, the best man, and even if it was only because Kain wasn't there, Cecil still deserved a confidant if he needed one.  
  
"Not about the marriage, not even about ascending the throne," Cecil said slowly. "It's just -- " Cecil paused. "I heard Golbez today when I was getting dressed."  
  
Edge's eyes widened. Golbez was Cecil's brother and the evil vessel through which Zemus had worked to try and take over the world. Golbez had returned to the moon to sleep with the Lunarians. He had come back to his senses and lost that evil thing, but he and Cecil hadn't parted on the best of terms.  
  
"I'm sorry, man, that's rough," Edge said. "What did he say?"  
  
"Well, all he said was -- " Cecil heaved a deep sigh. "He said 'Goodbye, brother.' "  
  
Edge nodded and, for lack of anything to say, put his hand on Cecil's shoulder in an effort to comfort him. Cecil was deep in thought.  
  
"If only I'd told him that I forgive him!" Cecil burst out.  
  
"Cecil, I think that Golbez sent you that message to let you know that he knew you forgive him," Edge said quickly. "He called you brother, just as you did at that last parting on the moon. You two are brothers. He understands."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yes, I really think so," Edge replied.  
  
Cecil turned to him. "Thanks, Edge. That helps."  
  
"Besides, you've got other things to concentrate on!" Edge said. "Not only is it your wedding day, it's your becoming-a-king day! And you've got lots to think about for the wedding night ." with a wicked wink.  
  
Cecil laughed embarrassedly. "That's enough out of you!"  
  
A footman peered in the door. "Sir Cecil? They're ready for you in the throne room."  
  
Cecil nodded to Edge. "Guess this is it."  
  
"It's going to be fun," Edge assured him.  
  
Cecil disappeared from the doorway. Edge could picture what was going on. The guests were seated in the throne room, facing the throne, where the priest was. Cecil had chosen to dress in Paladin-looking gear, although not real armor, of course. His suit was silky white fabric, embroidered in gold and accented in red, with a longish shirt with four large buttons and matching loose trousers. On his shoulders was a golden-tinted majestic white cape that fell to the floor, lined with red. And, crowning the blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, so blonde that it looked almost white, was a golden crown. Not the king's crown, of course, because that was to be saved for the afternoon, but the prince's crown, which was thin but set with red rubies. And in all of the clothes, Cecil looked every inch the king he was about to be.  
  
The door opened again, and this time, a vision in green peered from around it. "Edge? It's our turn."  
  
Edge could only gape. Rydia's hair was pinned back with a silver tiara and had more of a green tint than ever. It was emphasized by her green dress, which, designed by the magical Sylphs, was sheer but not transparent. They had draped a matching sheer shawl artfully around her shoulders and arms, and added heels so that Rydia, who usually only came up to Edge's chin, could almost look him in the eyes. She looked more beautiful than anyone Edge had ever seen before.  
  
"Edge?"  
  
He came to himself and said, "Sorry. Do you have your ring?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed. Jokingly, she said, "Who do you take me for, you?"  
  
Edge laughed and offered her his arm. She took it, and Edge tried not to shiver at her touch.  
  
They walked into the throne room and down the aisle arm in arm, and the audience ooh-ed in appreciation. They looked like a king and queen, Rydia in her gorgeous dress, Edge in a dark blue, slim suit that betrayed his Ninja status, and a dark blue silver-lined cape that brushed the floor as he walked. Edge also wore a silver version of his crown that kept his rather unruly, now-longish hair in check.  
  
Edge and Rydia reached Cecil, who was smiling rather nervously, and all heads turned to the back of the room.  
  
Rosa stepped in, and the crowd was hushed. She had put aside the cape that a white wizard usually wore, and instead was dressed in a flowing white bridal gown. Her blonde hair was crowned by a silver tiara, and a sheer white veil fell from behind it. Everybody in the room understood at once why she was known as the most beautiful woman in the world.  
  
The wedding ceremony progressed. Edge looked at Rydia just as often as he watched the priest in front of him, and she felt his gaze upon her and wondered at it.  
  
But the wedding went perfectly, Edge and Rydia handing the rings to the couple right on schedule. Afterwards, Cecil and Rosa retreated to change for the crowning ceremony, and Edge and Rydia returned to their rooms to change as well.  
  
Edge dressed himself in traditional Ninja gear, which felt entirely natural to him, since he'd been wearing it practically non-stop since he was thirteen years old. He went upstairs to Rydia's room to pick her up, knocking on the door.  
  
"Come in," he heard her call, and he entered to see her dressed in the plain white heroine robe that they'd found on the moon those months ago.  
  
"I think it's a little ridiculous that Rosa asked me to wear this, actually," she laughed, a little apologetically, as she fastened the protect belt around her waist as well. "But whatever she wants -- it's her ceremony, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Edge said. Seeing her in that reminded him strongly of their battle with the Ogopogo, just after they'd found the heroine robe and fitted Rydia in it. She'd gotten the worst of that battle; after she'd called Bahamut, the Ogopogo seemed to feel particularly virulent towards her, and attacked her until she fainted. Kain and Edge, spurred to greater heights by the fall of their friend, had then fought furiously until the Ogopogo was vanquished, but Edge could remember the pain in his heart as he looked at Rydia's fallen figure, limp and helpless. Rosa had revived her, of course, but in that moment, he'd wanted to protect her from anything that could possibly hurt her.  
  
"Well, let's go," Edge said, and they went downstairs to the throne room, where another huge ceremony was about to take place.  
  
The only job that Edge and Rydia had here was to bring the crowns of the new king and queen to the Chamberlain of Baron, who was then to place them on Cecil and Rosa. But it was much longer than that. There was a whole lot of talk, as can only be expected out of a royal ceremony. The Chamberlain went on and on, and Edge found himself nearly nodding off. Rydia's sharp jab in the chest, however, saved him. Sam would've been truly disgraced if Edge had fallen asleep now.  
  
But finally, the moment arrived, and the Chamberlain placed the golden crown upon Cecil's head, and a matching one upon Rosa's. The crowd cheered as the new king and queen bowed, beaming.  
  
Then Cecil and Rosa sat in their new thrones to receive all of the guests, every single one. Edge and Rydia took the time to hasten back to their rooms and change into party clothes, as opposed to the battle outfits that would seem slightly ridiculous in a room full of party-goers.  
  
Once again, Edge picked up Rydia from her room, and they headed downstairs to join the end of the line to be received by the new king and queen.  
  
They quickly reached them, and Cecil and Rosa greeted each of them warmly. "Thank you, you two," Cecil said. "Our ceremony would not have been complete without you."  
  
"Yes, we can't thank you enough for agreeing to participate today," Rosa smiled.  
  
"No, no, we can't thank you enough for allowing us to participate," Edge returned courteously. Rydia smiled and nodded her agreement, reaching up to kiss Rosa on the cheek.  
  
"I'm so happy for you!" she squealed, and the four of them laughed. The party began.  
  
For the banquet, Edge found himself happily situated next to Rydia, and the two alternated between talking earnestly and joking throughout the meal. Edge was overjoyed at his easy conversation with Rydia; they had fallen back into the pattern of old times without any trouble at all. Perhaps he could follow Kain's advice and tell her how he felt about her.  
  
After a magnificent six-course meal, the plates were cleared and the orchestra set up for dancing. Edge extended his hand to Rydia and asked, "May I have the first dance with a beautiful lady?" with a gorgeous smile spread across his face.  
  
She blushed (and scolded herself, really, Rydia, you must stop doing that!) and accepted his hand.  
  
They glided across the room, she holding her shawl as to not trip him up, he guiding her through the dance flawlessly. Among his many years of training as a Ninja, he had not neglected to train as a gentleman as well, although he seldom showed it. They both thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  
  
After four dances, Edge was trying to think of some way of asking her again when Edward came up. "Rydia, would you mind if I stole you away from Edge for a dance?" he asked with a smile.  
  
With a quick glance at Edge, Rydia laughed, "Of course, Edward!" and flew away.  
  
Edge felt -- well, not angry, definitely not angry at Rydia at least, but a little bit uncharitable towards Edward. Nonetheless, he swept over to a Sylph and, most daringly, asked her to dance. The Sylphs were gorgeous creatures, all with long blonde hair, gossamer wings and shoes, the most delicate of dresses that only the Sylphs could craft, and entirely unreachable. They detested most humans, and three had only consented to come because Rydia was in need of an escort. However, for some reason, the Sylph looked at Edge critically and then inclined her head, lending her magical grace to the beauty of the dance floor.  
  
Rydia had danced with Edward for minutes before she looked up and realized that Edge was dancing with one of her escorts. For a second, an inexplicable searing feeling rushed through her, but she forced herself to look back to Edward with a smile.  
  
Edge could not help but be stunned by the beauty of the Sylph he was dancing with -- no mortal, after all, could -- but at the same time, he never took one eye off of Rydia and Edward. Not even when the Sylph began to speak, telling Edge that her name was Thalithynia, and she had been the Sylph to find Yang unconscious in the underground, and she had been the one to insist that they take him, a human, back to their cave and nurse him back to health. Edge knew that even hearing the name of a Sylph is considered a great honor, and did indeed pay attention as the Sylph went on in her low, melodious voice, amusing him with a story of her wishing to dance with Yang ten minutes ago, but Yang's wife pulling him away abruptly.  
  
All in all, Edge truly enjoyed Thalithynia's company, but was nonetheless glad when the dance was over and Rydia out of the clutches of Edward. However, she was quickly swept up by Cecil, Cid, and even Palom, the Black Wizard of Mysidia who was at least fifteen years younger than her. Edge had no urge to ruin his reputation with women and sit out one dance, so he in turn danced with Thalithynia once more, a cleric of Toroia, and then Rosa.  
  
Finally, as his dance with Rosa closed, he saw his chance and asked Rydia to dance with him again. She blushed again as she murmured her assent, a habit that had not gone unnoticed by Edge. He wondered, but did not even dare to hope.  
  
"You've been dancing quite a bit," he said to her as he felt her familiar and yet unfamiliar figure in his arms once more.  
  
"As have you," she replied. "I see that you met Thalithynia. I even overheard her talking to you."  
  
Edge winced as he realized belatedly that he was befriending a girl in Rydia's escort. That can't be a good idea, he told himself. "Yes, she seems quite friendly towards humans, unlike the others."  
  
"Maybe she's got a crush on you," Rydia said demurely.  
  
Edge studied Rydia. "I don't think so," he brushed it off in words, but in reality it spoke volumes to him. Rydia, however, simply shrugged.  
  
After a few more dances (during which Edge made sure not to let Rydia get away from him), the guests were exhausted, and the party was over. It was only early evening, but nonetheless, most of the guests drifted back to their rooms, Cecil and Rosa bidding goodbye to them. Many were staying a few extra days, so it was just a formality, but it was only to be expected.  
  
Edge walked Rydia back to her room in the tower in silence. He couldn't help but realize rather uncomfortably that Thalithynia must live across the hall from her.  
  
"Well, goodni -- " Edge began courteously, but Rydia cut him off.  
  
"I'm not tired, are you?"  
  
"Not particularly," he answered honestly, since he had slept most of the day anyway.  
  
"Will you go up to the roof with me again?"  
  
Looking into her eyes, he wouldn't have refused her anything, so he of course agreed. 


	5. A Return and a Decision

Chapter 5  
  
Edge and Rydia reached the roof and stepped out into the moonlight, which flooded the balcony with light. It was a full moon. Edge looked up at it, hardly able to believe that just four months earlier, they had been walking on that surface. The ground had been illuminated, always glowing slightly, which was slightly eerie but more beautiful.  
  
"Can you believe we were there?" Rydia asked, voicing his thoughts.  
  
"No," Edge replied simply.  
  
"I -- I liked that way of life," Rydia said, walking forward to put her hands against the railing. "I don't know. It was awful, you know. Fighting every day, sleeping in tents and cabins, cooking monster meat -- "  
  
Edge laughed.  
  
"But there was something about being a warrior," Rydia went on. "Something about having that mission always in front of us. It made you feel like you had a purpose."  
  
"Because we had a purpose," Edge reminded her gently.  
  
She looked at him as if just remembering that he was still there, and laughed. "Oh, yes, that's right."  
  
"But it's not as if we don't have a purpose now," Edge said.  
  
"Oh, it's easier for you to feel that way," Rydia said quickly. "You, and Cecil, and Rosa, and Edward, and Yang -- you all have your own kingdoms. You've got things to do. Even Kain, he's going to Mt. Ordeals now, that's his goal, and Cid, he's constantly working on his airships, and -- what do I have to do?" Rydia sighed. "I'm living in the Land of Summoned Monsters. I could make changes, but they don't need my changes. I'm a human -- they love me, but they don't want my ideas."  
  
"Oh, Rydia," Edge said, understanding how she felt. They'd all felt that way after they'd come home. They'd saved the world and it had been amazing, but when they returned, what more was there to do? What greater purpose could they accomplish than that?  
  
"It's okay," Edge said, walking up to put his arm around her shoulder. Sure, he was still thinking about her romantically, but she was his friend first, and he wanted to make her feel better. "You still have a purpose. But your purpose doesn't always have to be for the greater good of the world, you know! It can be just for you! Now's the time for you to fulfill all of *your* dreams."  
  
"But all of my dreams *are* for the greater good of the world," Rydia protested quietly.  
  
Edge looked at her and laughed. "The problem with you is that you are just too good for your own good," he told her.  
  
Rydia smiled, but said, "I just want to be able to help people. And the monsters, though I love them, don't need my help."  
  
There was a second of silence. Then Edge said, "Nor are they people."  
  
Rydia laughed and hit his arm jokingly. "You're not helping," she said.  
  
"But I am," Edge countered.  
  
"Yeah, you are," Rydia admitted, snuggling into his protective arm. "Thanks."  
  
They stood there in silence for a few moments. "Maybe you need a change of pace," Edge suggested at last. "You know, living with humans or something."  
  
Rydia laughed. "I've only been underground for three months, Edge. It's not like a lifetime."  
  
"Three months is pretty long to go without fresh air, as you pointed out last night," Edge reminded her.  
  
"Yeah, that's true," she sighed. "Maybe I'll stay above ground for a little while."  
  
"Why don't you come to Eblan?" Edge suggested, letting go of her. Rydia turned to look at him in surprise.  
  
"I hadn't -- I was thinking about staying at Baron," she said.  
  
"But I mean, you've never been to visit -- "  
  
"Well, we did go that one time, you know, and plundered everything from your ruined castle," Rydia pointed out jokingly.  
  
"Oh, shut up," Edge scoffed, "that obviously doesn't count. The castle was overrun by monsters then! We've made all of these renovations and rebuilt the entire town -- you could get away from the underground -- and I'd love to have you," he finished, looking into her eyes a little shyly.  
  
Rydia didn't know what to say. "I -- I don't know," she hedged. "I need to think about it."  
  
"That's fine," Edge said. "We're going to be here for three more days, you can either come home with me or stay here."  
  
Rydia nodded. She was confused, though. The prospect of staying in Baron had sounded good, albeit not that interesting. With their new kingly and queenly duties, Cecil and Rosa would be thoroughly engaged in all the matters of Baron. Rydia would probably be able to help, but she knew that Cecil and Rosa would truly enjoy all of their new jobs, and would definitely not need her.  
  
Going to Eblan, however, could be something else. They were in a time of regrowth there, and it promised to be a busy and happy place. Plus she could spend more time with Edge, her long-lost friend.  
  
"You don't have to think about it *right now*," Edge teased her after some moments of quiet.  
  
She shook herself out of her thoughts and laughed. The two moved to a thorough discussion of the ceremony and all of its details.  
  
~~~  
  
Three days later, Edge, Rydia, Cid, Yang, and Ling were relaxing in palace grounds. It was early afternoon, just after their extensive luncheon, and the sun was shining, birds twittering, and Baron generally looked gorgeous. A footman rushed up and bobbed his head importantly, breaking off their chatter.  
  
"So sorry to interrupt, sirs, madams," the man said, "but Sir Kain has just arrived back at the castle!"  
  
"Kain's back!" Edge exclaimed.  
  
"Yes, sir, his wounds are being attended to in the Nursery," the man said quickly. "Nothing life-threatening, merely some deep scratches, but you will find him there. Cecil asked me to inform you of it, thinking you might want to visit him."  
  
"I'd say we would," Edge agreed wholeheartedly. "Now, where is the Nursery again? . . . I still find myself getting lost around this castle sometimes . . ."  
  
The others laughed and together, they found their way to the Nursery. Inside, Kain was gritting his teeth as an experienced nurse stitched up a wound.  
  
"Hey, baby, at the Nursery again?" Edge teased him the second he entered, delighted to see him.  
  
Kain turned. "Edge, you rascal!" he said, and Edge strode forward and gave him a hug. A rather gentle hug, as the nurse didn't seem to want to be interrupted.  
  
"Kain, I'm glad you're back," Rydia said sincerely.  
  
"Yeah, Kain, I'm glad you brought back my airship," Cid joked. Yang and Ling greeted him cordially as well.  
  
"So, what happened?" Edge said excitedly. The five visitors pulled up chairs and stools and sat around him as he was attended to.  
  
"Well, saw the light, came back down, it was good," Kain said matter-of- factly.  
  
Edge laughed. "Come on, a little more detail than that, man!"  
  
"Besides, he's leaving out a very important part," the nurse put in primly, not even looking up. Kain laughed a little embarrassedly.  
  
"Thanks a lot," he said to her sarcastically, and she giggled. "Anyway, the light -- I mean, it was -- life-changing, but you know, I can't really describe it. But I made it, I'm a White Dragoon now, not a Dark one!"  
  
Congratulations echoed round the circle of listeners. "What's this very important part she's talking about?" Edge asked curiously as soon as he could.  
  
"Well -- on the way down I had a little bit of . . . trouble."  
  
"Trouble?" Cid asked.  
  
"That's how I got this," Kain said, and pulled up a sleeve to reveal an enormous bloody gash on his left arm. The others gasped.  
  
"But, Kain, you're left-handed!" Rydia said. "How could you fight with that injury?"  
  
"Yeah, that was the problem," Kain said. "It was a wicked monster, noticed my fighting hand and everything. A Hagumar."  
  
The others shuddered. "I've never met one of those," Edge said.  
  
"I have," Yang replied. "You're lucky."  
  
"Yeah, the Hagumar are extremely old, extremely crafty, and extremely wicked," Kain said. "It didn't help that I was just reborn by the light, either. I mean, I still had all my experience, but I was sort of like a kid again, you know? So it watched me in hiding for like a day, and then jumped out and attacked me, really suddenly."  
  
"The wretch!" Ling said indignantly.  
  
"I managed to battle a little with my right hand, but couldn't get that much done," Kain went on. "I've got some more wounds on my chest, but I'll spare you the sight of them. But I think I was pretty much a goner if it hadn't been for Larisa." He almost blushed.  
  
"Larisa?" the others echoed.  
  
"She's this orphan who was raised in Mysidia as a White Wizard," Kain explained excitedly. "But I think she's got way more warrior blood in her than wizard blood. She's an excellent archer! She started shooting the Hagumar from some hidden place, and the Hagumar got all bothered, I mean who wouldn't if you were being attacked and you couldn't see who it was, and it went to look for her and she shot it in the heart and in the head and it died!"  
  
"Rescued by a girl," Edge summarized it.  
  
Kain shot him a look. "Then she came out of her hiding place and asked who I was, and said she was heading to the top of Mt. Ordeals herself, and she healed me up some. She's not a great White Wizard, though, she's much more of an archer. That's why I've still got these wounds and all. But of course she was a great help. And I wouldn't let her go all the way to the top by herself, especially not when I realized there were Hagumar about. So I climbed back up with her, which wasn't a big deal because we were most of the way there anyway, and then we journeyed back down together."  
  
"Sounds like you were very lucky to meet up with her," Rydia said.  
  
"Oh, yes," Kain said. "But that's not even the best part. I took her back to Mysidia in the airship, and then I found out that she was an orphan and had been brought up by the Elder. But that she never felt quite at home in Mysidia, because, like I said, she's more of a warrior so -- I brought her home to Baron with me!"  
  
The audience was in shock. Even Edge hadn't expected something like that. Kain looked around, grinning at their stupor.  
  
"She's resting over there," he ended, pointing to a bed on the other side of the room.  
  
Immediately, all five of the others got up and rushed over to get a look at her. They saw a young, pretty girl, fast asleep, with long, long, curly light brown hair. She was dressed in a dark golden jumpsuit-type outfit, and her cape had been thrown aside. She was obviously exhausted; she'd even fallen asleep with her boots on.  
  
They slowly retreated back to Kain, who said humorously, "Thanks for all ditching me like that."  
  
"Are you two -- " Edge asked, voicing the question they'd all been wondering.  
  
Kain's grin, if possible, got wider. "Yeah, I think she's it," he answered simply.  
  
The five others looked at each other and tried not to squeal. Edge grinned broadly and gave Kain a hearty smack on the back in congratulations.  
  
"Now, nothing's certain. No plans for any big steps or anything like that," Kain cautioned them all. "But things have been going well, and I really like her."  
  
"Wow!" Edge couldn't help but saying. "Who'd think you could meet women on Mt. Ordeals! I've *got* to go there."  
  
Later on that afternoon, Edge got the chance to fire more questions at Kain. He returned to the Nursery by himself, and Larisa was still sleeping in a far bed. They talked a little about his experience with the light on Mt. Ordeals, but Kain seemed mostly unable to talk about it, although he didn't stop smiling the entire time. But Larisa he could talk about.  
  
"You know, we just got along so well the second she rescued me," he said exuberantly. "I mean, obviously I was grateful to her, but I liked her. And she's gorgeous!"  
  
"You got that right," Edge said.  
  
"Hey," Kain said, sitting up. "Hands off."  
  
"Obviously," Edge said. "I've got my own problems."  
  
"Oh, yeah, how are things with Rydia?" Kain asked interestedly. "Did you tell her about your deeeeep looooove for her?"  
  
Edge glared at him. "What are you, ten years old?"  
  
Kain laughed. "They say falling in love makes you young again."  
  
"No, I didn't say anything to her, but I did invite her to stay at Eblan," Edge informed him.  
  
Kain's eyes widened and he nodded approvingly. "Great! Is she going?"  
  
"I don't know," Edge answered. "She's got to decide by tonight, though, I'm leaving in the morning."  
  
"Well, tell me what happens," Kain said.  
  
"Hey, you should come to Eblan sometime, too," Edge said. "Bring Larisa! It'll be fun."  
  
Kain cocked his head. "Definitely. I haven't seen the place. Hey, I could come down now!"  
  
"You know, that wouldn't be a bad idea," Edge said. "I bet that would convince Rydia to come, too! She's missed you, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I don't think Larisa would mind," Kain said, casting an eye toward her sleeping form. "Of course, I've got to ask her. I can't promise anything, she might just want to stay around here, but hopefully we'll come."  
  
"This'll be so fun!" Edge said.  
  
By that night, Kain and Larisa had agreed wholeheartedly to visit Edge at Eblan for a week, as he excitedly informed Rydia that evening on the balcony.  
  
"You should definitely come!" he urged her. "It'll be fun, the four of us. I mean, they're only staying a week, but you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like."  
  
"How is Larisa?" Rydia asked curiously. "Did you talk to her?"  
  
"For a little bit," Edge said. "She seemed pretty nice. I'm sure we'll have a fun week. And you have to come!"  
  
Rydia still hesitated. "But what about clothes? And how am I going to get back to the Land of the Summoned Monsters? I can't make it through the cave by myself."  
  
"Well, let's see," Edge thought aloud. "Clothes -- I bet you can borrow a substantial number of clothes from Rosa, and you've got whatever you have, and we can have some clothes made at Eblan, too. You'll be fine on supplies. As for getting through the cave . . . how long do you think you'll stay with me?"  
  
Rydia blushed. "I have no idea. As long as you'll have me."  
  
"So then you'll stay forever, and we won't have to worry about an escort for you!" joked Edge. Rydia laughed aloud.  
  
"Well, I'm sure Kain and I will be able to take some time out to take you back through the cave," Edge assured her. "It's not like we've got anything important to do."  
  
"Like a kingdom to attend to, or anything," Rydia murmured.  
  
"Right! Nothing important," Edge said. "Or, nothing more important than a friend in need. So come! The Sylphs can steer your airship back, and I'll fly you back to the underground whenever you want to go." He looked her in the eyes. "I promise."  
  
Rydia couldn't help but smile. "All right, I'd love to come to Eblan with you," she conceded.  
  
"Great! We're leaving in the morning, so you'd better go get ready," he told her. "Tell the Sylphs, get some clothes, and I'll see you in the morning!"  
  
"Sounds good," Rydia said, and they parted for the evening.  
  
"Thalithynia," Rydia called, entering the Sylphs' room. The three of them were flitting about their room, doing some mysterious nightly ritual, which they stopped when Rydia entered. She'd seen them do it before, but she'd obviously disrupted their concentration. "Oh, I'm sorry, girls," she said quickly. "Thalithynia? Can we talk in my room so the others can go on?"  
  
"Sure," and the two hastened to Rydia's room.  
  
"I'm going to visit Edge in Eblan for a little while," Rydia told her, quickly so that she couldn't change her mind. "Can you three inform Leviatan and Asura? Oh, can you also take the airship back and leave it at the Land of the Summoned Monsters for me? Edge will take me back."  
  
Thalithynia looked surprised, but didn't ask questions. "When will you be returning?"  
  
"I haven't decided yet," replied Rydia. "It's all been sort of spur-of-the- moment actually."  
  
"Ah," Thalithynia murmured.  
  
Rydia looked at her. "What?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"What is it, Thalithynia?"  
  
"I think he likes you," Thalithynia said, with a wicked glance towards Rydia.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Edge, I think he likes you."  
  
"Oh, please," Rydia scoffed, with a toss of her long hair.  
  
"Oh, I see, you like him too!" Thalithynia exclaimed.  
  
Rydia rolled her eyes and gasped in exasperation. "I don't like him like that. And he doesn't like me either. We're just friends. Really good friends."  
  
"Really good friends," Thalithynia repeated, not even bothering to hide her skepticism.  
  
"Absolutely," Rydia answered. 


	6. Back Home

Chapter 6  
  
The next day, after some fond partings between good friends, including a promise between Edge and Yang to visit each other's castles and have another good battle, Edge, Rydia, Kain, and Larisa boarded Edge's airship in high spirits. Kain and Larisa were planning to return to Baron in Edge's airship, with some of Edge's men to pilot it back to Eblan after dropping them off.  
  
"So where exactly is Eblan, anyway?" asked Larisa, who'd never been further outside Mysidia than Mt. Ordeals.  
  
"At the foot of the Tower of Bab-il," Edge answered cheerfully. "It really gets in the way of my tanning spot sometimes, but for the most part we don't mind it."  
  
"Oh, I thought it was in a cave," Rydia said mildly. Edge shot her a look, but couldn't take his eyes off the course for very long.  
  
"When Golbez attacked the town, the people of Eblan hid out in a nearby cave," Kain explained to Larisa. "Although it's pretty mean to refer to it."  
  
"Can't help it," Rydia protested. "I thought the people of Eblan were incredibly brave when I met them in the cave, you know. And headstrong. Well, perhaps that was just the prince, whom we found mashed on the floor by Rubicant."  
  
Kain hooted. "She's wicked, this one!"  
  
"I don't appreciate that," Edge said huffily. "I was just trying to get my revenge."  
  
"I know," Rydia said softly. "I'm just kidding. I thought you were incredibly brave, too."  
  
Edge thought that he was in terrible danger of blushing. Instead, he said, "So Larisa, Kain tells us you're an amazing shot."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," she laughed. "I have a decent eye."  
  
"Maybe you'll show us your skills back at the castle," Edge suggested. "I've got a great training room."  
  
"Only if I can see your skills as well," Larisa said courteously.  
  
But she wasn't too hesitant the next day, when they all decided to head to the training room for some relaxing practice. Edge offered her a beautiful practice bow and several arrows, and without too much prodding, she aimed at a target across the room. Larisa hit the bulls-eye, then split her previous arrow in half -- four times.  
  
"Not bad," Edge said, impressed. He drew a long blade and threw it across the room, dividing her last arrow in half himself.  
  
"That's an old blade, right?" Kain asked. At Edge's nod, Kain leveled the Lance of White at the target, which fell to the ground at the incredible impact. When they rushed over to see the results, they discovered Edge's blade split in half as well.  
  
There was a pause. Then Rydia said, "I could summon Bahamut and have him Meganuke you all to pieces."  
  
They all laughed. "But seriously," Rydia continued, "here's my battle prowess." And she pulled out a battling rod -- and proceeded to twirl it above her head, threw it up high and caught it, then tossed it under her leg and caught it again. She bowed among the laughter.  
  
"Cheerleading moves? I was battling evil with someone whose greatest non- magic power is cheerleading?" Kain joked.  
  
"Hey, don't make me set Odin on you," she warned lightheartedly.  
  
The week passed quickly with the four of them having fun together. Edge and Rydia found Larisa to be delightful company. There was some slight awkwardness when Edge saw Kain and Larisa, er, kissing, but mostly, it was a most enjoyable week.  
  
The night before Kain and Larisa were to leave, Edge asked Rydia -- in private, of course -- whether she was staying or leaving.  
  
"I think I'll stay for a while longer, if that's okay with you," she said.  
  
"Of course it's okay with me!" he said quickly. "That's more than okay -- that's great! I'm glad you're staying. You're having fun above ground, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I am," she said, smiling at him. "I'm glad that I came. I've missed spending time with people, I found out."  
  
"Missed spending time with me, you mean," he leered playfully.  
  
Rydia smiled. "Well, yes," she admitted. "I did miss spending time with you. I'm sorry I didn't write back that last time. I think I didn't want any more letters from you."  
  
Edge tried to look hurt. Which wasn't very difficult, since he was a little hurt. "I guess you accomplished it," he said.  
  
"No, not because I didn't want to hear from you," Rydia hastened to say. "Just because I guess I missed spending time with people, and I didn't want to be reminded of it any more than I needed to be. You know what I mean?" Her eyes begged him to understand.  
  
"Yes, I do," he said slowly. "Well, at least you're here now, and I can hear from you now," he added, and, uncharacteristically, he pulled her close to him and hugged her.  
  
She relaxed into his embrace after a moment, although she was genuinely surprised. It felt nice.  
  
Edge smiled at her as he pulled away, and she felt an odd pang of disappointment. "Goodnight, Rydia," he said, and he returned to his room.  
  
~~~  
  
The next day, after seeing off Kain and Larisa, Edge and Rydia were chatting in the throne room when the Chamberlain entered, looking distressed. "Sir, I'm sorry to disrupt you, but now that some of your guests have gone, I know that you have other guests, but I must ask, you see, you have been so occupied for two weeks now -- "  
  
"Spit it out, Sam," Edge said lazily.  
  
"I must ask you to return to your kingly duties," the Chamberlain said frankly. "The rebuilding of the city went well, but there are still issues -- the people haven't seen you in two weeks, you must realize, and they want to know that their king will still walk among them."  
  
Edge bit his lip. "Of course, Sam, I'm so sorry," he said.  
  
"Don't apologize to me," the Chamberlain replied. "All I ask of you today is that you walk the town."  
  
"Oh, Chamberlain, I'm sorry, too," Rydia said, although Edge put a hand on her arm to let her know that she definitely wasn't at fault.  
  
"Oh, my dear," the Chamberlain said with an odd smile at her, "no one would possibly blame you. Why don't you go along with Edge? You can see the town, as well."  
  
"Well -- that sounds like fun," said Rydia, smiling at Edge. Edge, who had been scowling at the Chamberlain for his not-so-subtle ulterior motives, quickly smiled back at her.  
  
"All right," Edge said, standing. "Let's go."  
  
Rydia eyed his outfit, just a normal outfit, no crown, no royal crest, no nothing. "You don't need anything?"  
  
"It's not like anyone would attack me," Edge laughed. "They know who I am." The Chamberlain and Rydia merely gave him pointed looks. "All right, fine," Edge huffed, grabbing a royal-crested robe and swinging it around his shoulders. "Is this suitable enough for you?"  
  
"I suppose," Rydia replied.  
  
"It'll do," the Chamberlain sniffed.  
  
Edge rolled his eyes, sheathed two long blades, and grabbed Rydia's hand. "Let's get out of here before he starts scolding me about my bedtime," he said.  
  
"You know," Rydia said slowly, "you have been sleeping rather late these days . . ." At his incredulous look, she winked outrageously at him.  
  
"You two will be the death of me!" Edge said, but he still had her hand in his.  
  
They walked out of the castle, getting bows from all the footmen that they passed. But they had soon entered the town, which wasn't too big.  
  
"The fountain wasn't there in the old days," Edge said, indicating a beautiful fountain in the center of the town. "But it runs from a fresh water source and is recycled, so that people can get their water there, too. The people just make sure that none of their children play in it. That's what the other one's for."  
  
A number of children were crowded around and in a smaller fountain to the side of the large centerpiece. At Edge's approach, two of the older boys broke away and, when they met him, pounded their little fists against his stomach. "Edge!" they shouted, "Edge, where have you been?"  
  
"You little rascals!" Edge answered and, to Rydia's astonishment, wrestled them to the ground. And they laughed!  
  
"Prince Edge, I got you a cup of water," a very different voice said shyly, belonging to a tiny girl with huge poofy brown hair, holding out a cup of clear water, presumably from the other fountain.  
  
"Aw, thank you, Celsia," Edge said gratefully, accepting the drink. "Rydia, would you like some? Kids, this is my friend, Lady Rydia."  
  
"I'm not technically a lady," she whispered to Edge as she took a sip of the water.  
  
"Close enough," Edge replied.  
  
Another little girl was tugging on Rydia's long dress, saying, "Wow, your dress is soft, Lady Rydia!"  
  
"Thank you, little one," Rydia said, smiling down at the little head.  
  
"My mom weaves fabric," the little girl continued earnestly, "but she can't make stuff as soft as that."  
  
"Well, perhaps I can show her how," Rydia said. "What's your name?"  
  
"Feria," she replied.  
  
"I'll introduce Rydia to your mom," Edge said to her with a smile. "For now, we're going to walk around, okay?"  
  
"Can we come?" the two boys who'd tackled him asked eagerly.  
  
Edge raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but we're going to be walking around talking to your moms and stuff," he said mildly.  
  
"Oh, forget it," the boys said disappointedly. "We thought you were going to fight someone or something," one added as they turned back to the fountain.  
  
Rydia laughed. "What?" Edge said. "That's what I was like when I was a kid."  
  
"That's what you're still like," Rydia responded.  
  
"True," Edge admitted. "Well, let's go in here."  
  
Inside one of the houses was a sturdy-looking boy and an older woman, presumably his mother. "Hello, Therese," Edge said, giving the woman an elegant kiss on her hand. "Hey, Benone."  
  
"Oh, hello, Prince Edge!" Therese beamed. She had a habit of incorrectly calling him "prince," since she'd known him since he was a little boy. Edge didn't mind, though, and wouldn't dream of correcting her. "We were all wondering how you've been these past couple weeks! How was the ceremony at Baron?"  
  
"Perfectly lovely, and I brought back a friend from there, actually," Edge said. "This is Lady Rydia."  
  
"Oh, you can just call me Rydia," she said quickly.  
  
"Oh, pleased to meet you," Therese said, shaking her hand.  
  
"Benone, are you excited to start sword lessons tomorrow?" Edge asked him. Benone nodded vigorously but wordlessly.  
  
"He's part of this year's Ninja trainees," Therese told Rydia proudly. "Their sword lessons start tomorrow, and he can't wait to try them out."  
  
"Good!" Edge exclaimed. "Therese, how's the cloth stuff coming?"  
  
Therese laughed. "The 'cloth stuff' is good, thank you, sir."  
  
"Oh, that's right," Edge said, turning to Rydia, "this is Feria's mother. Feria just commented on the cloth that Rydia's dress is made of."  
  
Therese touched Rydia's dress gently and said, "Oh, my, that is soft!"  
  
"Oh, it's just made out of normal cotton," Rydia said excitedly. "It's just a special way of weaving that the Syl -- my friend Sylvie taught me. I'd be happy to teach you sometime."  
  
"That would be wonderful!" Therese exclaimed. "I'm sure some of the other seamstresses would love to learn how to use it, too. Do you think you could teach all of us?"  
  
"Absolutely!" Rydia agreed warmly. "Why don't we hold an informal class or something like that?"  
  
"That would be wonderful," Therese said.  
  
Edge, who had been standing nearby, smiling at these arrangements, intervened. "Rydia and I can talk to the others in the town and get some interest. We'll talk tonight about when would be a good time, and maybe the class can be held tomorrow or the day after? There will be ample room in the castle, of course, if the women wouldn't mind bringing their weaving . . . stuff . . . there."  
  
"Looms," Therese hinted to him.  
  
"Right. Looms," he said. "Well, I think we'll be off for now."  
  
"It was a pleasure meeting you, my lady," Therese said, kissing Rydia's hand affectionately.  
  
"Oh, please, no need for that," Rydia laughed. "Call me Rydia."  
  
As they exited the house, Rydia became a little worried. "I hope it's okay, that I want to teach this class?" she asked Edge.  
  
"Oh, I think it's a great idea!" he smiled down at her in response. "I'm glad that there's going to be, um, some soft cloth around here."  
  
"Great!"  
  
The two visited most of the houses in the town, and many of the women who were in their houses sounded greatly interested in the new weaving technique and were excited to learn. Rydia's class seemed to be growing quite large.  
  
"Well, that was a pretty productive day," Edge said to Rydia as they strolled back to the castle. "This year's crop of Ninjas-to-be is a pretty good batch of youngsters. I'm excited to start teaching them tomorrow."  
  
"You're teaching them swordsmanship?" Rydia asked curiously.  
  
Edge nodded. "You're welcome to come and watch, if you'd like."  
  
"Well, I -- " Rydia tossed her hair rather self-consciously. "I was thinking about asking if I could perhaps -- join your class."  
  
Edge was surprised, but tried not to show it. "You'd like to learn?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I was just remembering the other day, how you all had your things to show off with, you know, bow and arrow, lance, and swords, and I'd like to be able to do something like that."  
  
"Rydia, you know that your summoned monsters were worth ten of my blades."  
  
"Oh, I know," she replied, in a frank, self-assured tone that made Edge laugh. "But I never got to really be good at anything physical, even during that whole trip on the moon. And I'd like to try." He remained silent as they walked forward, into the throne room. "Oh, please, Edge? I won't be any bother at all, I'll stay in the back and you won't need to help me out or anything."  
  
"Well, it's a small class, mostly of thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds," Edge told her. "I'm pretty sure they'd notice a grown woman, even if she was standing in the back. But -- I think that it would be okay. And you may join."  
  
"Oh, thank you!" she said gratefully, throwing her arms around him for a hug as warm as the summer evening.  
  
"But -- " Edge warned, trying to extricate himself, although not really wanting to, "I'm a rather different person when I'm teaching Ninjas. Now, I won't expect you to follow my orders, but don't you dare laugh at me or treat me as anything but a superior during the class. That would cultivate disrespect, and I can't have any of that."  
  
"I promise I won't cultivate any disrespect," Rydia said, looking up at him, and in that moment he felt that she actually respected him, as well. She had no need to -- she was his equal in every way, from being a warrior to her high rank -- and that was all the more reason that it felt good.  
  
He smiled. "Thank you." 


	7. A Swords Lesson

Chapter 7  
  
A week later, it seemed as if Rydia had been there always. She had met with the sewing women of the town three times; the new method of weaving was a little difficult, so they practiced together for good measure. The women were slowly turning out extremely soft yet durable cloth.  
  
"And next time we meet, in three days, we're going to learn a special stitch that one of the women knows!" Rydia informed Edge excitedly as they stood at the top of a tower in the castle, overlooking the town. "She's been keeping it to herself for several years, it was a sort of family secret, but after working with all the others, she wants to share it so that all of Eblan can use it! Isn't that wonderful?"  
  
"That is wonderful," Edge agreed with a giant smile. "You've united the women, and for that I can't thank you enough. The men have always been pretty united, you know, the whole fighting thing usually gets us together pretty quickly, and I've always known the women would work better as a unit too, but didn't know how to get them there. Guess it needed you and a woman's touch."  
  
Rydia blushed at his praise. "You're doing quite well in the swords class, too," Edge went on. The class met five times a week, and was quite intense. "The boys have gotten used to you now, and you're almost surpassing some of them in your skills, although you hadn't had the basic training that they did."  
  
"Well, I am a lot older than them, and have been fighting for half their lifetimes," Rydia pointed out.  
  
"Still, it's not easy to experience any Ninja training," Edge said.  
  
"You become such a different person when you're teaching the class, or even talking about being a Ninja," Rydia said thoughtfully.  
  
Edge stopped in his tracks. "Different? In a bad way?"  
  
"No, no," Rydia answered. "Just more, well, focused, I suppose. Intense. It's just such a change from your normal easygoing, joking attitude."  
  
Edge relaxed. "Well, I take my Ninja heritage very seriously," he told her.  
  
"And that's good," she said with a smile.  
  
"As I have no time to work with you one-on-one in class, would you like some tutelage now?" he offered her, a wicked grin on his face.  
  
"What's with the evil look?" she asked warily.  
  
"I just think it'll be fun to fight you," he answered.  
  
"Well, I won't turn down one-on-one tutoring from a true Ninja master," she said with a deep, exaggerated bow. "But I am wearing a dress." She only wore trousers to the class, trousers made specially for her by Therese.  
  
"You'll be all right if you take off those high heels," Edge advised her. "It's not like you'd have the time to change during a real battle, anyway." He took two short blades from his belt. "I've only got two swords, so we can each take one," he said, offering it to her, palms up.  
  
"Why don't you throw it at me like you do your students?" she asked, affronted, as she tossed her shoes aside. The stone floor of the tower was cold beneath her feet. It was a large area bordered by a protective wall, so there was no danger of falling off.  
  
"You want me to throw the blade at you?" he said.  
  
"Well, yes."  
  
"They practiced for weeks last year with a stick," he informed her.  
  
"Well, then, we'll have to practice," she replied. "Go get a stick."  
  
Edge gave her a mildly offended look at being ordered around, but he retreated back into the tower and returned momentarily with a long, polished wooden stick bound with rags at one end. "This is the same weight as a medium blade," he told her, laying down his two short blades. "I'm going to spin it towards you, and you catch it. It doesn't matter where you catch it just yet. Just catch it."  
  
"I can catch it wherever I -- oh!" she said as the stick came hurtling towards her unexpected, and she put up her arms to block her face. It hit her arms and clattered to the floor.  
  
Edge laughed. "I'm going to aim it almost at your face," he informed her, rather belatedly, and went to pick up the stick. "You're supposed to sort of snappily grab it from right in front of you. Don't be afraid of it. Let's try again."  
  
It took quite a while for Rydia to even be able to catch it, since Edge threw them towards her forcefully at enormous speed. But soon she was able to catch it consistently.  
  
"Now, the natural desire is to catch it in the middle," Edge explained to her. "Of course, if this were a real blade, you'd be cutting yourself. So you have to start aiming towards the end."  
  
"Should I try to catch it at the bound end?" she asked, as the bound end was obviously meant to represent the handle of a sword.  
  
"Not just yet. Any end will do until you've got the hang of it," Edge answered, and spun it towards her.  
  
After about half an hour of this, Rydia was thoroughly tired of catching sticks and said, "All right, let's work on this some other time. I just want to fight you now, especially for throwing sticks at me all afternoon!"  
  
Edge laughed heartily and offered her a short blade, palms up, a slightly mocking look on his face. This time she took it, although she returned his look with an evil eye.  
  
"Let's practice the defensive moves we started out with in class," Edge said. "One hand behind your back at all times. Yah!" And he began to attack Rydia, she blocking his every move.  
  
"Good! You paid attention," Edge said, grinning at her and putting his sword down. She smiled as if taking a break, then attacked him right back!  
  
"Rydia!" Edge protested as he easily blocked her every attack. "This is ridiculous -- stop it -- " She persisted, laughing with every swing. "All right, that's it," he said, and with a flash of his blade, he coaxed her sword out of her hand. It flew spinning into the air and he caught it easily in his free hand.  
  
"One hand behind your back at all times," Rydia warned him, then rushed forward, ready to pummel him with her fists. But one of her feet unexpectedly caught on a trailing edge of her dress and she stumbled.  
  
Edge immediately tossed the blades behind him and tried to catch her as she fell towards him, but for once, he wasn't quick enough, and she fell on top of him. He lost his balance as well, and they were both on the stone, laughing, her on top of him.  
  
"This is why women don't fight!" he teased her, pushing back a stray strand of her hair.  
  
"No, this is why women shouldn't always have to wear dresses!" she answered, although not as boldly as she usually would. She was looking into his eyes, and she saw something there that she feared and yet welcomed.  
  
There was a pause. Rydia swallowed. Edge's other hand came up to hold her head gently in his grasp.  
  
"Rydia," Edge whispered, and somehow, their lips met for one brief second.  
  
They both pulled away, surprised and yet not, and their eyes searched each others'. "I've never -- " she whispered.  
  
"I know," he whispered back, and she bent her head down to receive his kiss once more. She closed her eyes and let the heady feelings wash over her as she felt his lips, strong but gentle, touching hers, so tender yet somehow so urgent. She felt something lightly flick the underside of her upper lip and realized with surprise and a good measure of delight that it must be his tongue.  
  
Edge had difficulty controlling himself from rolling her over and kissing her a good deal more passionately. But he knew that she'd never kissed a man before, and he didn't want to scare her. So he concentrated instead of the full softness of her lips, so sweet and innocent, so wonderfully naïve.  
  
What felt like only seconds later, Rydia pulled away with difficulty. She looked down at him in shock as if only then realizing what had happened. Without a further word, she got to her feet and ran down the steps.  
  
"Rydia -- " Edge called, but she was gone. He sighed. She was obviously uncomfortable with what had happened, but they would get the chance to talk about it soon. After all, she was living in his castle.  
  
~~~~~  
  
He didn't see her for dinner that night, or at breakfast or lunch the next day. Obviously she was avoiding him; Edge guessed that she had eaten abysmally early, or perhaps even with Therese. However, she did show up dutifully to his swords class held that afternoon.  
  
She was already standing in the back, behind his other students, when Edge strode into the class. He easily controlled his emotions at seeing her in view of his Ninja trainees, and commenced the class.  
  
However, when the students filed out at the end, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Can I talk to you?" he asked.  
  
"Um -- of course," she said demurely, although she was obviously flustered.  
  
"What happened yesterday -- " Edge began once he was sure his students were out of earshot.  
  
"Was a mistake, and won't happen again," Rydia interrupted him quickly.  
  
Edge let her finish. "I didn't think it was a mistake," he said quietly. Her eyes were still downcast, and she did not meet his gaze.  
  
"I'm not like you," she said, just as quietly. "I haven't dated dozens of people and I never kissed anyone before yesterday. I won't be toyed with."  
  
"Rydia, I would never toy with you!" Edge said, surprised and quite hurt that she would think such a thing of him. "I know what I've done in the past, but that's in the past. I haven't dated any women since we got back from the moon. Because all I could think about was -- " He trailed off with a loud gulp.  
  
Rydia stood in silence.  
  
"I fell in love with you," he finished in a whisper.  
  
She looked up in shock. She had never dared to hope that those words would ever come out of his mouth. She had known he was fond of her, of course, but thought that she was just another woman to him, nothing of importance.  
  
"You what?"  
  
"I didn't kiss you to use you," Edge said. "You're something special."  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
Edge chuckled. "Yes," he told her.  
  
His heart pounded for thirty seconds as she stood, apparently lost in thought. He had never told any girl he'd been in love with her before. And he didn't know what he would do if Rydia didn't love him back.  
  
She looked up shyly and whispered, "Can you kiss me again?"  
  
Edge's heart soared to new heights. He bent and scooped her up in his arms and complied. 


	8. Advice and Figs

Chapter 8  
  
Edge wasn't completely sure what to do next. He'd held Rydia in his arms for about twenty minutes, just kissing her, before he realized that his strength was about to give out. Sure, Rydia was just a little slip of a thing, but come on. He wasn't made of steel.  
  
And it had been awkward, truly awkward, to put her down and stop kissing her. It wasn't like some movie or a story, where things just fade beautifully into the next scene. This was real. And they'd both just sort of stood there for a moment, right on the edge of nervous laughter.  
  
Then Sam had walked in and given them a look. That look potently reminded Edge of the time Sam had caught him about to ride off on one of his father's royal horses without permission. It was a time when he'd been young, careless, and above all, guilty.  
  
But all Sam had said -- both times -- was, "Sir, I believe it's almost time for dinner." And this time, it had been a much-needed excuse for both he and Rydia to laugh and whirl away, ostensibly to get ready for dinner, but obviously to think about and analyze what had just happened.  
  
And now Edge was in his room, staring at the mirror, trying to keep back that one piece of hair that *would* keep popping out onto his forehead, as if today hadn't been the momentous day when Rydia *asked him to kiss her*.  
  
"What are you doing?" Edge scoffed at his reflection. "Worrying? You're worrying. Why? This is only what you've wanted for practically half your *life*. Okay, maybe about two years. Seems about the same."  
  
Edge pulled away from his mirror and started striding around his large room. It was beautiful, absolutely marvelous -- no luxury had been overlooked in the rebuilding of the castle of Eblan. But Edge's magnificent surroundings didn't calm him, as they usually did. "So you've kissed now," he told himself. "That's it. You're still *friends*, for goodness' sakes. This doesn't change *that*. And hey, this is exactly what you've wanted. Since you met her -- just to kiss her. Those lips ... "  
  
Edge shook himself and sat down on the bed. "But ... " he whispered. "What if she doesn't love you the way you love her? That's not Rydia, she wouldn't go around kissing everyone she sees. But what if? What if things don't work ... "  
  
Edge heaved a giant sigh and fell back onto the bed. "I need Kain," he almost wailed.  
  
"If you don't mind my saying so, sir," Sam's voice came from the doorway, "talking to yourself is commonly considered a sign of psychological instability."  
  
Edge closed his eyes. "Great," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Sam is almost exactly like Kain, just twice the age and half the understanding."  
  
"I think you'll find, sir, that age and understanding often go hand in hand," Sam replied mildly, ignoring the barb and approaching the bed. "Is there a problem?"  
  
Edge sat up and examined Sam's face. Of course Sam knew exactly what was going on, he had that omnipotent look in his eye again. "Just worried about the love of my life and how things are going to pan out," he replied flatly.  
  
Sam allowed himself a close-lipped smile. "The Lady Rydia, I would presume," he replied. "I get the feeling the hordes of women will stop parading to our front doorstep now." At Edge's sharp look, Sam added, "Sir."  
  
Edge rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just keep up that modicum of dignity," he said sarcastically, "even when you're making fun of me."  
  
"Did something go wrong, sir?" Sam asked delicately.  
  
Edge stood up and walked over to his mirror to examine his reflection again. Sam waited, knowing from years of experience with Edge that he wasn't ignoring him, he was merely considering the answer to the question. And how he looked.  
  
"No," Edge finally replied. "Nothing went wrong. I'm just worried that I can't give her what she wants."  
  
"Well, sir," Sam said after a moment, "what does she want?"  
  
Edge fiddled with his piece of stray hair again. "I don't know."  
  
"The easiest way of figuring that out," Sam said, "is usually to ask her. Might I suggest you proceed to the dinner table now? You don't want to keep Lady Rydia waiting, and I hear the chef has made a delectable Baronian sea bass for the evening."  
  
Edge strode out of the room, muttering something about preferring salmon.  
  
~~~  
  
Rydia walked into the dining room, steeling herself for an interesting dinner. All of her careful preparation, though, flew out of her head when she saw Edge sitting at the table.  
  
It wasn't as if she hadn't seen this exact scene several times before, and even thought what she was thinking now a thousand times before. Edge was, to put it mildly, handsome, and she'd always thought so. It was in the set of his chin, his strong jaw, his eyes. They were gray, or blue, or somewhere in between, and they flashed when they looked at you. And even sitting at a table, you could tell his chest was so strong, the ninja gear fitted him and his whole personality so well --  
  
Rydia abruptly cut herself off. She was waxing way too "romance novel" for her own good, she scolded herself. Too many of those Lady Roberts books at night, no doubt. No more for a week.  
  
"Hey, Rydia," Edge said, flashing a smile and standing with his customary courtesy. It always surprised her a little bit just how gentlemanly he was, considering his constant teasing humor and slightly sarcastic remarks. But he never failed in this department, to come around to her side of the table and pull out her chair for her.  
  
The dining table was, as is customary in old-fashioned, formal castles, ridiculously long and thin. Edge and Rydia sat across from each other, and sometimes their dishes bumped a little bit because of how thin the table was. There was, however, room for about fifteen more people at the table. On each side.  
  
"If I were king here," Rydia remarked as a waiter was forced to set down their plates of Baronian sea bass almost overlapping, "I would definitely redesign this table. And make it much, much, wider."  
  
"But I would not redesign this sea bass for my kingdom," Edge said by way of reply, his eyes wide. "Gerald, give my highest compliments to the Chef Linberg. This is amazing! What are we having for dessert, do you know?"  
  
"I believe the menu is chocolate truffles, sir," the waiter replied.  
  
"Mm. Ask Linberg if he's got any, um ... " Edge thought back to a certain cookbook he had once read. "Wine, figs, and raspberries, too, will you?"  
  
Gerald raised an eyebrow. Figs, huh. The last time Sir Edge had asked for figs was with some blonde chick who stayed the night. Several nights. "Will do, sir," was all he said, and exited the room.  
  
Rydia, however, was an avid cookbook reader herself. "Figs?" she said mildly. "Why didn't you order oysters for the night, as well? Maybe some nutmeg? Almonds?"  
  
Edge thought it would be best to feign innocence in this case, so he continued eating his sea bass with avarice. "I just haven't had figs in a long time," he said.  
  
"I, too, have read Cooking for Lovers: Aphrodisiacs for Your Mate," Rydia informed him. Edge nearly choked. "I don't think you needed to call for figs -- there's definitely cilantro in this sea bass. Was that your doing, too?"  
  
"Happy coincidence," Edge replied. "Are you angry?"  
  
Rydia paused and considered the potency of her answer. "No," she said deliberately, looking into those gray-blue eyes. "I'm not angry."  
  
She saw something new come into those eyes, something she'd never seen there before. It caught her off-balance and she wasn't sure what to say next. She wasn't even sure why she hadn't been more upset that Edge was feeding her aphrodisiacs in a pathetic attempt to get her into his four- postered bed made from beautiful oak, special-ordered from the forests of Toroia.  
  
Rydia was avoiding thinking about the topic at hand, and she knew it.  
  
"Rydia," Edge said, drawing her back to the present. Neither of them had spoken in a couple minutes. This had been happening quite a bit this evening, and it wasn't just due to the incredible sea bass. Which, she admitted, did melt in her mouth.  
  
"Rydia? You there?" Edge said, and Rydia looked up and saw him laughing at her. She was distracted again, this time by his dimples.  
  
"Before we do anything stupid," Edge went on, uneasy at her silence and uncanny stare. She had a knack for throwing him a little off-balance. He ruffled a hand through his hair.  
  
"You're messing up your coiffure," Rydia said softly.  
  
"I don't care about my coiffure," Edge replied, sitting on his hands to keep them from moving. "What -- where do you think we're headed?"  
  
"Towards dessert," Rydia replied, still in her quiet voice.  
  
"Avoidance, my dear, is never a good idea," Edge sighed, trying to resist the urge to jump into a little avoidance himself. "I mean, what do you want? You know what I want. I told you I'm in love with you, and I am, and I always have been, and I always will be, and I am."  
  
Rydia decided not to cut him off and tell him he'd repeated himself. This was an important moment.  
  
"But if you don't want the same things I do," Edge said, and paused. He didn't want his voice to break, not now. "We're good friends, and if that's all you want and the -- kisses were about something else, then we shouldn't -- do anything stupid. Because I wouldn't want to lose you."  
  
Sitting in her comfortably padded chair, the scent of sea bass wafting up before her, Rydia thought dazedly how easy it suddenly seemed to be a woman. How difficult it must really be to have to pour out your heart the way Edge just had, and simply wait for a response. Sure, some women made the first move, but it wasn't expected of them the same way it was expected of men. That was, she pondered, a little unfair. It had to be tough, and you had to be on tenterhooks waiting for that person to respond.  
  
She looked up and Edge's eyes looked tortured. Oops.  
  
"I think," she said slowly, "that I feel the same way."  
  
Edge thought his jaw dropping might make a loud, jarring noise as it hit the table, but oddly enough, it didn't.  
  
"I'm not sure, though," she said, looking at him with her shy, misty eyes. "I've never dealt with ... love ... or anything like it, so I don't know quite what it's like."  
  
Edge just could not find his voice. This could eventually be a problem, if she always affected him like this.  
  
"But I've always imagined," she went on, and now her voice was very, very small. "I always imagined that if I did ever feel love, someday ... that it would be like this. With you."  
  
Edge stood abruptly, pushing his chair back with a gratingly loud sound in the silent dining hall. He walked around the table and lifted Rydia to her feet as well. She felt his hand strong at her waist, and watched in wonder as he stroked her cheek with one finger. Rydia would never have been able to guess that this man, who wielded a sword and picked a pocket, would be able to possess this much tenderness inside him.  
  
He kissed her.  
  
Some minutes later, Sam popped his head in. He tried to turn away and head back to the kitchen, but he simply couldn't resist -- after all, he'd known the boy all his twenty-five years.  
  
"No need for the figs, then, sir?" he said, keeping the chuckle out of his voice, and waited for his king to turn around. 


	9. Another Visit to the Roof

Chapter 9  
  
Edge climbed the steps of the tower with a boyish excitement that he hadn't felt in ages. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He would still consider himself a boy, really, even if he was a king. And he'd been excited just last week when Scottford, in his Ninja class, had finally mastered the spin- kick-slice-thrust move that he'd made up himself ten years ago, which nobody had been able to quite pick up since. But this was a different kind of excitement, and this definitely made him feel younger than ever.  
  
And it had been so simple, he mused. Just a note in Rydia's gorgeous handwriting, "Meet me on the roof." Enough to make his heart jump, maybe skip a beat.  
  
He started skipping steps.  
  
"Hey," Rydia said, turning with a smile when she heard him at the top of the staircase. He strode forward, picked her up by the waist, and lifted her toward the stars, ignoring her squeals and helpless laughter.  
  
"Hey," he replied finally, setting her down and kissing her on the forehead. "What's up?"  
  
"It's just so beautiful up here," Rydia answered, leading him towards the edge of the tower. "I wanted to spend time here, with you."  
  
It was indeed gorgeous out, a crystal night, clear so that the stars shone with glittering intensity. But Edge didn't bother looking at the stars. "Much of our relationship, you know," he murmured into her ear, "seems to have revolved around roofs."  
  
Ducking teasingly away from his mouth, Rydia replied, "I guess because the height is so romantic."  
  
"And I'm such a romantic guy," Edge boasted, and caught her for a kiss that time.  
  
"The height is also useful for throwing people off of," Rydia said thoughtfully when he let her go.  
  
Edge laughed and held her close. Seven magnificent days had passed, seven days with Rydia as his girlfriend. They'd walked the village together, talking to townspeople, holding hands. There had been raised eyebrows, and plenty of them. Although Edge had dated plenty of women in his time, he'd never appeared in public with them. And Lady Rydia -- wasn't she in love with monsters, or something? Didn't she have some awful power? What if she used that power on the king?  
  
But nothing had happened, and after daily talks with the townspeople, Edge thought they were getting quite used to Rydia. After all, Rydia's name was known throughout the world for her part in, well, saving it. Which was no small thing. Beyond that, Therese and many of the other women who'd sewed with Rydia were loyally defensive of her. Even the boys in the Ninja class had helped scour away any ugly rumors, respecting her progress in class as much as Edge did himself. And Edge liked to think that perhaps there was something noticeably different about Rydia, and the way they were together. Perhaps other people, like him, could tell this was going to be the real thing.  
  
Because he could, indeed, tell that. From the way they played together in the castle like children, even resorting to games like hide-and-seek. From the way Rydia had insisted, one night, on kicking Linberg out of the kitchen and concocting three of the meals described in _Cooking for Lovers: Aphrodisiacs for Your Mate_, which she'd found a copy of under his bed. "Just like old times," she'd said, "except with less weird moon glow and weird moon monster meat." She'd thrown flour on him, and he'd looked ridiculous, especially when it stuck to the gel that was woefully in his hair that day. And somehow, he'd enjoyed all this.  
  
It was because of her, of course. She struck at his heart that way. She could make a rainstorm seem fun, an ice age seem like an adventure. Life was brighter with her around.  
  
"Rydia," he whispered in her ear, holding her from behind.  
  
"Mm," she replied.  
  
"Rydia, I love you."  
  
She whipped around in his arms to look at him with some measure of shock. "Edge -- "  
  
Edge thought he'd better go ahead and take the plunge. After all, he reasoned, the first one hadn't been so bad. "Rydia," he said, "I love you, and -- " He sunk to one knee and pulled out his ace in the hole, a gorgeous crystal ring set in white gold that his mother had given him. "Will you marry me?"  
  
Rydia's mouth was open, and she was staring at him with alarm, not exactly the reception he'd hoped for. "Edge -- this is -- very soon," she managed to get out.  
  
Edge hoped he wouldn't start to cry as he felt his heart absolutely splinter in two. He stayed where he was, looking up at her.  
  
"We've only been dating for seven days!" she exclaimed, pulling him to his feet.  
  
Edge thought he would throw himself off that height pretty soon, if she didn't do it for him. Although it would be difficult with her hand gripping his so tightly. "Well," he said, and was shocked at his own voice. It sounded so woefully small. He cleared his throat and went on. "Did you think we were going somewhere else? Not marriage, then?"  
  
"Well, no," Rydia said, her voice as tiny as his. "I was just upset because -- " She took a deep breath. "Because *I* was going to propose tonight," she said, trying not to whine.  
  
Edge looked at her steadily, not quite able to believe his ears. "What?"  
  
"Well, I was just thinking," Rydia said somewhat petulantly, "about how men have it so tough, and how they always have to make the first move, and things like that. And I thought it would just make things easier for you if I proposed to you, instead, and I was so ready to, and now there's really no point!"  
  
Edge scratched his lip, not quite sure what to make of this turn of events. "This is why you didn't just say yes?" he said unbelievingly. He didn't move, still wonderfully close to her. She was holding his hands with a desperate strength.  
  
"I know it's stupid," Rydia said, and now she was whining a little bit, she just couldn't help it. "I was just trying to help."  
  
Edge furrowed his brow and could tell he should tread carefully here. It was stupid, there was no two ways about it. If she wanted to marry him she should've just said yes the second he asked. Geez. But still, it was a nice gesture, and she was delightfully childish about some things like this. Maybe ...  
  
"Well, you didn't say yes, right?" Edge said helpfully. "So we're not engaged or anything. You could ask me to marry you now, and it would accomplish something."  
  
Rydia looked up and brightened. "I guess you're right," she said, and looked him in the eye with a smile. "Edward Geraldine, will you marry me?"  
  
He groaned. "Yes, as long as you *never* call me Edward again," he said, and kissed her.  
  
It was the deepest kiss they'd shared yet, and Rydia found it almost difficult to breathe. Not because he was overpowering, but because the emotion that they were passing back and forth to each other was so suffusive and strong that she thought it could hurt them. This was love, Edge's love, served up with passion; Edge would never love her with anything less than this force, she realized then. She closed her eyes finally and gave herself up to the moment.  
  
Edge took from her lips the guarantee he'd wanted, that they would have love as deep as he'd always promised himself to find. Images of their future together flashed in his mind, unable to stop thinking. Then he felt the moment she gave in to the depth of the kiss, and with a trace of a sigh, he gave into the moment himself as well. Thought fled.  
  
At length, they pulled apart. It was some time before either of them spoke.  
  
"Man," Edge said then, thinking about the events of the evening, "we can't even get *engaged* seriously."  
  
"We're engaged," Rydia said with wonder, her voice a little throaty from the kiss.  
  
"I know what we should do now," Edge said with a wicked smile, and pulled her by the hand over to the stairs.  
  
Rydia instantly felt her nerves jump to attention. After a kiss like that, she knew what would inevitably follow. They hadn't moved beyond kissing yet, and while she was curious about ... other things, she didn't know if she was ready for them. Edge, she was fairly sure, was quite experienced, and she wasn't, and they were in love and getting married, but that didn't make up for her inexperience and apprehension. But this *was* their engagement night, and ...  
  
Her tumbling thoughts paused when Edge reached into the stairwell and pulled out two long blades, practice ones, she recognized from class. "Let's fight," he announced cheerfully, handing her one.  
  
She eyed the sword as if it were a foreign object. "Let me get this straight," she said. "You want to *fight*? On the night we got *engaged*?"  
  
Edge just looked back at her. "Don't you?" he asked.  
  
Rydia considered the question and took the blade. "Yes, I do," she replied, and lunged, sword forward, with a grin. 


	10. The End

Chapter 10  
  
"Another wedding. Another crowning, and more pomp and circumstance. What are you *subjecting* us to?" Kain said with mock horror as he strode into the throne room of Eblan.  
  
Edge and Rydia, who were testing out a throne being built to seat a queen, sprung up. "Kain!" they said in one voice.  
  
"I jumped on a ship the moment I got your letter," Kain said, giving Rydia a kiss on the cheek and man-hugging Edge. "Or should I say your *missive*? 'A Royal Missive from the Throne of Eblan' -- nice letterhead, Edge."  
  
"That's Sam's doings," Edge said, unable to keep the grin off his face.  
  
"Well, you think a *missive* is adequate for relaying news like *this*?" Kain exploded. "Two of my best friends, two heroes of this world, sending off a curt little missive to every castle and town in the world. 'I am pleased to announce the engagement of Edge Geraldine, King of Eblan, and Rydia Page, Caller of the Mist. The wedding date is not yet set, and will be announced shortly.' *Geez*, people!"  
  
"You're right," Edge said thoughtfully, "something was lacking. The 'I' is a little ambiguous. We meant for it to be Sam."  
  
Kain shook his head in exasperation. "Well, congratulations, you two," he bellowed, although it seemed evident he'd calmed a little bit. "How'd it happen? I take it a lot has occurred since Larisa and I left you two alone here."  
  
"Where's Larisa, by the way?" Rydia inquired.  
  
"I'm the one with the questions here," Kain thundered. He smiled and reverted to his normal voice, saying, "She's helping the crew put the airship away, she should be in here shortly. I just had to run here and yell at you guys as quickly as possible."  
  
"Well, now that that's done, I guess you'll expect dinner from us, too," Rydia said sweetly. At her words, a footman exited the room, presumably to inform the chef to double the cooking for the night. Rydia looked over at the vacant spot and laughed. "I just cannot get used to that."  
  
"So what *happened*?" Kain asked eagerly, helping himself to Edge's throne for a seat. "Edge finally confess that he's had the hots for you ever since he opened his eyes after Rubicant beat him to a pulp?"  
  
Rydia glanced at Edge with some surprise. "That long, huh?" she said. Their short dating span had left plenty of secrets to yet be discovered, and this was one of them.  
  
"No," Edge answered Kain's question pointedly, sitting down on Rydia's throne. "But thanks for getting that out of the way for me."  
  
Rydia, left without a chair, agreeably sat in Edge's lap. Kain let out something that sounded suspiciously like a guffaw. "Man, I mean, I read it in the letter, but seeing you two together, this is *weird*. This is just something else, you know? Rosa, by the way, nearly went off her rocker when she read that letter. She was all set to jump into the airship with me, and give Rydia a good scolding, but she had some sort of queenly duties or something, unlucky her."  
  
"Poor dear," Rydia agreed with a tinge of irony in her voice.  
  
"Ah, being a queen won't be that bad," Edge promised Rydia, running a hand through her soft hair affectionately. "I'll get you a really cool crown and you'll forget all about all the grueling duties you'll have."  
  
"So what happened between you guys, really?" Kain asked curiously.  
  
Edge and Rydia looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess we just finally got it together," Edge admitted.  
  
Rydia added, "Yeah, I mean, anyone really could've seen it coming, right?"  
  
Kain laughed and shook his head. "You didn't sound so blasé about this a couple months ago," he teased Edge.  
  
Edge was saved from thinking up a comeback when Larisa was escorted in by two footmen. "I'm really okay, I don't need any announcing," she was saying.  
  
One of the footmen cut her off and announced loudly, "Larisa, White Archer of Mysidia!"  
  
Larisa gave Kain a wry look as she approached the thrones. "Did you get out of the announcement this time?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah, I had the element of surprise, though," Kain replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Airship okay?"  
  
"Yes, no thanks to you," Larisa said, and pushed past him to greet the others. "Edge, Rydia, congratulations! I was so happy to hear the news."  
  
"Right, whatever," Kain dismissed the sentiment, pushing past her. "What she *really* wants to know is, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"  
  
After soothing Kain with some details of their relationship, and eating a long but highly enjoyable meal with the other couple, Edge and Rydia found themselves alone at the dinner table, Larisa and Kain having excused themselves to go for their evening walk. A waiter graciously served them their dessert. Figs, of course.  
  
"Chef Linberg was afraid they were going to go bad," he said by way of explanation. Edge just rolled his eyes.  
  
Rydia laughed. "I don't think anyone's going to let go of your asking for figs anytime soon," she teased him. "As if you needed aphrodisiacs to get onto my good side." She winked.  
  
Edge smiled and took her hand. "It takes my breath away when you flirt with me," he told her honestly.  
  
Rydia looked down at the table, a little unsure of just how to respond to that. If someone had told her that one day, the king of Eblan, who was reputedly able to date any woman he wanted to on the planet, would tell her that he loved it when she flirted with him ... "Maybe you're just astonished at how much better this table looks now," she said instead of voicing her thoughts. She gestured at the dining room table, which she'd arranged to be renovated as she'd once teasingly suggested he do himself. It was much wider now, though just as long, and shone like new.  
  
"Yes, but I can't reach you as easily as I used to be able to," Edge said mournfully. He stretched out his arms as if he couldn't quite reach her, sitting on the other side. Of course, he could've stood up and picked her up from right there if he'd wanted to.  
  
Shaking her head, Rydia stood and walked over to his side of the table, pulling up a chair so she could sit close to him. "You'll always be able to reach me," she said.  
  
Edge gave her an approving nod. "Quite a romantic sentiment there," he said, pulling her closer and almost onto his lap. "Very Lady Roberts." At her shocked stare, he winked at her and said, "I found that stockpile of books under your bed the other day."  
  
"You were -- looking through my things?" Rydia gasped, trying unsuccessfully to get up in her embarrassment of her collection of no less than forty-seven of the prolific Lady Roberts' romance novels. Edge had a tight grip around her waist, though, and was laughing.  
  
"We can't keep secrets from each other anymore, anyway," Edge chided her as she acquiesced into his arms. "We are, after all, getting married."  
  
"So when do you want to do it?" she said excitedly. She cut off Edge's surely impending leer with a quick, "*The wedding.*"  
  
Edge, his opening for a prime joke taken from him, sighed and said, "Oh, as soon as possible, I think. Maybe a couple months, give you some time to get that custom-made dress you've been talking about. Who are we going to invite?"  
  
"Everyone!" Rydia replied promptly. "The works. Practically everyone we know."  
  
"I don't think I've seen Sam so happy in my life, now that I've found you," Edge said thoughtfully. "Even more than when I finally passed History of Mysidian Wizards. Which, let me tell you, was a battle. I bet you never had to memorize the Black Magic Hall of Fame ... " A sudden thought arrested his reminiscing. "Rydia ... are there going to be *monsters* at our wedding?"  
  
Rydia tried to look innocent. "Well, Asura did say she would try to convince Leviathan to come. And maybe a couple of their friends ... "  
  
Edge sighed. "The things I have to put up with with a Caller for a fiancée," he said with mock dismay.  
  
"Yeah," scoffed Rydia, "like being the luckiest man in the world!"  
  
"Seriously," Edge grinned, and leaned up for a kiss, which he got.  
  
"It'll be a gorgeous wedding," Rydia sighed, snuggling into Edge. "All of Eblan will come ... "  
  
"And all our friends from around the world, even monsters," Edge said.  
  
"Larisa promised to stay and help me plan the wedding," Rydia said, "and she said Rosa would be sending letters of advice, too."  
  
"And you'll be summoning the sylphs to custom-make your dress," Edge said. Rydia looked at him with some surprise, and he said, "What? I pay attention to you!"  
  
"We'll be together forever," Rydia said softly.  
  
"And you'll be a queen," Edge reminded her, "with all sorts of new duties."  
  
"That won't keep me from the Ninja class, though," she warned him.  
  
"I should hope not!" Edge replied. "Maybe you can teach me, er, summoning, too. Or at least some of those cheerleading moves, I'm sure we would be quite a team."  
  
Rydia laughed, feeling safe. "We will be," she said.  
  
----===== The End =====---- 


End file.
